Putin’s disastrous aircraft carrier will sink when Russia tries to sail it after suffering multiple fires and accidents, Ukraine claims
- The Admiral Kuznetsov, the flagship of the Russian Navy, is badly damaged
- It has suffered fires and fatal accidents during a £1 billion overhaul over five years
- The Defense Ministry of Ukraine claims the ship is now so wrecked that if sailed out it would sink
- They say it is in a “state of emergency” and “cannot move under its own power”.
Russia’s only aircraft carrier is in such a state of ruin that it will sink if it puts to sea again, sources said today.
The Admiral Kuznetsov has been plagued by fires and fatal accidents over the past five years as technicians attempted an overhaul.
On December 8 last year, the 1,000-foot vessel suffered extensive damage when it caught fire in the port city of Murmansk in northwestern Russia.
Today the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine declared that the Admiral Kuznetsov is in such a “state of emergency” that she “cannot move under her own power”.
The Admiral Kuzentsov was launched in 1985 but has been at the center of a troubled £1billion overhaul since 2017, with several high-profile accidents and fires
In December 2019, the Admiral Kuznetsov was engulfed in fire, killing two men
The ministry noted that a decision had been made to move the ship to the docks of a ship repair factory.
However, it soon became clear that the cruiser was unable to move unaided. Attempts to tow the boat failed due to the poor condition of the ship’s hull – divers noted that deep corrosion was emerging under the third deck.
It was also found that the holds were filled with muddy water, making internal control impossible.
According to Ukraine, ship repair specialists have now warned that Admiral Kuznetsov’s condition makes it impossible for him to launch, and if he does, “there is a high probability that it will tip on its side and.” [sink].’
In last month’s incident, the Admiral Kuznetsov was docked for repairs at the Zvyozdochka shipyard in Murmansk when the fire broke out in the cabins on the port side of the Russian Navy flagship.
The Russian Navy’s flagship, the Admiral Kuznetsov, now looks dated compared to the United States’ nuclear-powered aircraft carriers
A source told Russia’s TASS news agency: “There was a fire on board the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is in dry dock at the Zvyozdochka shipyard.
“There were no injuries, 20 people were evacuated.”
Admiral Kuznetsov has endured a number of disasters since her launch in 1985 and is notorious for her black smoke.
It has undergone a £1billion overhaul since 2017 but was badly damaged in October 2018 when a 70 tonne crane crashed onto its deck in October 2018 as a huge floating dock holding the ship sank.
The crane left a 215-square-foot hole, and the loss of the dock significantly slowed repairs to the girder.
A year later, in December 2019, the ship suffered a massive fire that killed two men and treated 14 others for smoke inhalation.
With its black-smoke-ejecting turbines, the Admiral Kuznetsov now looks outdated compared to the United States’ nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
However, the Kremlin has used it to project military power far from Russia’s shores.
In early 2017, the Admiral Kuznetsov was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean as part of the Russian campaign in Syria, launching the first carrier-based strikes in the history of the Russian Navy.
It lost two carrier-based fighters in incidents during the Syria mission.