Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier can be summed up in 3 words

She could sink: Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsovit has long been a point of ridicule and frustration. Designed as a training ship in the last years of the Soviet Union, it has aged badly, plagued by poor workmanship, unreliable systems and its infamous trail of black smoke from stale Mazut fuel.

-Notably, during the Syrian Civil War, the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet shadowed the aircraft carrier, ready to help if it sank.

– Despite its glaring flaws, the ship has become a symbol of Russia’s determination to project power – a mission that, as Kuznetsovathey face increasingly harsh realities.

Russia’s Sunken Aircraft Carrier: Admiral Kuznetsov’s Sad Legacy

Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsovis one of the most enduring embarrassments the Russian Federation has endured for years. Today, it sits in dry dock, its crew sent to the front lines of Russia’s bloody war with neighboring Ukraine, rusting away. There is much talk both in Russia and around the world that Admiral Kuznetsov will finally be be put under mothballs.

What the Russians are experiencing today with Admiral K is nothing new. It is not a byproduct of the decades old carrier. Age only compounded his problems. This boat was a problem from the start.

made in the last years of the once mighty Soviet Union, hitting the high seas at a time when the newly born Russian Federation was a hotbed of world instability, this ship never stood a chance.

However, the Russians keep it because it is an aspirational symbol that the Russians will finally become an aircraft carrier power on par with the Americans.

To be fair, Admiral Kuznetsov it was simply a training platform for the Russians to exercise some of their maritime muscle in ways they haven’t been able to since the end of the Cold War. It was all part of Putin’s overall mission to restore Russia’s lost national greatness, indeed, this has been Putin’s raison d’être since taking power from Boris Yeltsin.

A tired old ship

With each increased deployment since Putin took power, however, the warship has taken a beating simply for being such an awful boat. Poor workmanship and terrible crew conditions are just a few reasons visible on the surface. Poor combat capabilities, old systems, and to top it all off, his ship even belches thick, black smoke into the air, leaving a trail of miles of soot in its wake, thanks to Fuel Oil the fuel it uses! There is nothing good about this boat.

One incident in particular stands out now as we talk about the awful awfulness of this ship. That is, during the deployment of the warship in the Mediterranean during the height of the Syrian civil war, Russia was of support beat Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad along with Iran.

In 2011, the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet followed the historically terrible Russian warship. Not because the Americans, as they did in the glory days of the Cold War, feared the prowess of the Russian military. Instead, because the Americans were convinced that the warship would sink at any moment. The Sixth Fleet was orderly to watch the carrier and be ready to render aid whenever the ship finally sank.

A symbol of Russian tenacity?

Shockingly, however, this warship never sank. It’s like the little engine that could. So, the Americans watched and waited. And this self-inflicted joke of a warship floated on, spilling toxic fuel into the clean sea it traveled on, belching black smoke for miles behind it, as if the boat had been built by orcs and struggling to maintain power basic. However, this decrepit carrier departed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet area of ​​operations back to its home port.

It was a darkly comic and disturbing reminder that Putin’s Russia would continue with whatever bad decision it deemed necessary.

Experience and expertise of the author: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weicherta national security of national interest analystis a former congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is out October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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