Russian aircraft carrier crew repurposed for frontline combat

While the only Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Flota Sovietskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov, rusts and burns during repairs, its crew has been turned into a mechanized battalion and sent to Ukraine. We present the behind-the-scenes events and the performance of this vessel.

According to the UK Defence Journal, the crew of the Russian aircraft carrier Kuznetsov was reorganized into a mechanized battalion. This battalion first fought in the region north of Kharkiv and is now, according to the Ukrainians, supposed to go to the Pokrovsk region.

Information about the formation of the infantry battalion from Kuznetsov sailors appeared as families began sharing information on Vkontakte while searching for soldiers from unit 78987.

It recently gained publicity after the disappearance of Oleg Sosedov, a sailor from Kuznetsov, who went missing during the Russian operation in the Kharkiv region in July. Sosedov, also associated with the battalion, was last seen during the assault on the border village of Sotnytskii Kozachok.

Forming infantry battalions from the intellectual elite of the armed forces, including the navy, besides the air force, is a sign of Russian desperation, reminiscent of the actions of the Third Reich at the end of World War II.

The education and training of warship crews take years and require enormous costs, and wasting such people in frontal charges, often referred to as "meat assaults," is a sign of desperation.

It indicates a lack of personnel reserves, and losses are covered by almost anything, reminiscent of the last months of the Third Reich when Kriegsmarine sailors were formed into infantry.

Admiral Kuznetsov, built in Ukraine during the Soviet Union era, is the only aircraft carrier in the Russian fleet. It is about 300 metres long, 70 metres wide, and has a draft of 10 metres.

Kuznetsov is equipped with a ski-jump-type launch ramp. This significantly facilitated the vessel's construction, but it also limited the capabilities of the onboard aircraft, which must take off either under-armed or with limited fuel reserves.

This problem does not occur with aircraft carriers equipped with catapults, which until recently required a steam source or power for newer electromagnetic catapults.

In theory, Kuznetsov's air group can include nearly 60 Su-33 or MiG-29K aircraft, but in practice, due to costs, the Russians maintained at most a dozen or so aircraft. Furthermore, the Russians cannot conduct pilot training for aircraft carrier landings because the only range with a moving runway simulating an aircraft carrier deck is located at the Saki base in Crimea, which is regularly shelled by Ukrainians.

Additionally, in typical fashion, the Russians equipped Kuznetsov with twelve P-700 Granit anti-ship missile launchers. These missiles had a range of 630 kilometres and moved at a supersonic speed of over Mach 2.5 (3,060 kilometres per hour). Each missile contained a warhead of 750 kilograms and a conventional or thermonuclear charge of 500 kilotonnes.

On the other hand, the last-resort defence consisted of 3M87 Kashtan artillery-missile systems and six-barrel automatic AK-630 guns, which did not save Moscow from sinking.

After being commissioned, the vessel was plagued by a series of failures before being sent for repairs in 2017. It is worth noting that in recent years, Kuznetsov has always been escorted by a tug ready to intervene in case of problems.

The problems, however, did not end. In 2018, a crane fell on the ship during repairs, damaging the only dry dock capable of fitting Kuznetsov. A year later, a fire broke out on the ship. The fire situation repeated in 2022; theoretically, repairs should be completed by 2024.

However, considering the reformation of its crew into an infantry battalion participating in "meat assaults," a return to service for this ship in this decade is rather unlikely.