Russia Has a Good Reason for Never Building a Fleet of Aircraft Carriers nationalinterest.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalinterest.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The head of the Russian Navy has suggested that a new aircraft carrier could be in the works – yet the Kremlin has struggled with the refit for its sole flattop. However, Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov told the state-run Krasnaya Zvezda daily news outlet that plans for a new aircraft carrier are underway.
Launched in November 1988, the unfinished Soviet Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag was transferred to Ukraine in 1992 – but Kyiv was unable to complete the vessel, and sold it to China, where it was described as just a pile of scrap metal.
In 2018, it was announced that the Russian Navy had begun to explore options for a new aircraft carrier to replace Admiral Kuznetsov. But nothing ever was done.
Admiral Kuznetsov is Russia's only aircraft carrier and has been in dock for years awaiting repairs. And yet, one disaster after another ensures this warship may never sail again.