Although the Russian Navy may opt to scrap its flagship aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, instead of returning it to service, another “capital ship” in the fleet could soon sail again. On Thursday, the head of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) suggested that one of the late Cold War-era nuclear-powered missile cruisers could finally return to service later this year.
The Admiral Nakhimov has been undergoing modernization efforts since 2015. After it was first put in for repairs, the Russian Navy set a goal for the warship to begin sea trials by the end of 2018. However, when the Kremlin failed to meet that deadline, questions were raised about whether the battlecruiser, one of four built during the Cold War, would return to service.
Russian state news agency Tass reported that the ship is “undergoing tests” and “could soon rejoin the Russian Navy.” This is not the first time such claims have been made about the vessel returning to service, but work on the battlecruiser and other Russian Navy assets has continued.
“I believe we are successfully working on the government’s defense contracts. Today you gave the go-ahead to raise the flag on a nuclear-powered missile submarine,” Andrey Kostin, board chairman of USC, said in a statement.
“In March, the Perm submarine was rolled out of the boathouse. And, of course, a big event for us is the completion of repairs on the battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov, which is already undergoing tests, and in the near future, as we believe, could go into combat service with the Russian Navy,” Kostin added.
Russian state media acknowledged that Admiral Nakhimov has been out of service since 1999, noting that repairs to the battlecruiser had begun in 2013 and were ongoing.
During the Cold War, Moscow planned to build five Kirov-class nuclear-powered missile cruisers, essentially modern-era battlecruisers. Four were eventually built before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, while a fifth was canceled before it was laid down.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the two oldest ships of the class were laid up and scrapped, while the Admiral Nakhimov was sent to port to undergo a modernization refit. However, due to a lack of funds for the Russian Navy, the warship languished in port for more than a decade. There were multiple starts and stops, but the modernization only began in earnest in 2013.
“The Russians have thrown a great many resources into the Admiral Nakhimov, which Moscow clearly believes will be the vital herald of change the Russian Navy requires,” military analyst Brandon Weichert wrote for The National Interest earlier this year. “Moscow knows the Russians need to transform their navy, especially in the wake of humiliating blows inflicted upon them by the Ukrainians, such as when Ukrainian forces sank the modern missile cruiser, Moskva.”
But Weichert questioned whether the warship of its size, even armed with more capable offensive weapons, can be as effective as the Kremlin desires. “The fact remains that the warship is vulnerable to anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems just as much as are NATO warships,” he added.
Moreover, warships do not improve with time and require expensive upgrades. Aging vessels are costly to maintain and operate. Furthermore, the political landscape has changed since the refit began. Russia is increasingly isolated, with few bases that can host the vessel.
Returning the Admiral Nakhimov to service may be as much about Russian prestige as anything else. If the reports are accurate that the Admiral Kuznetsov will be heading to the scrap heap, Russia will lose some serious tonnage—at least on paper. Moreover, Pyotr Velikiy, the other Kirov-class nuclear-powered battlecruiser that is still in service, could also face retirement by next year. Pyotr Velikiy has not been deployed since 2022, but like the problem-plagued Admiral Kuznetsov, it remains officially in service.
The Kremlin has tacitly acknowledged that attempting another modernization effort would be a colossal mistake. However, even as the operational capabilities of the battlecruiser are suspect, Moscow may wish to have a large warship in service as a status symbol, and to show the nation that the Russian military remains strong in spite of setbacks in Ukraine.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
