Russian sailors from flagship carrier sent to fight in Ukraine

The crew of the only aircraft carrier in the Russian army's arsenal, Admiral Kuznetsov, is currently fighting on land in Ukraine, reported Forbes magazine portal. The decision to deploy sailors to land units is linked to personnel shortages and the aircraft carrier's technical condition.

The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is, or rather was, as "Forbes" assessed, the largest ship in the Russian fleet. Built at the end of the last century, it was tested in combat only once, in 2016, during the civil war in Syria, where the Russian army supported the troops of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The aircraft carrier's crew, consisting of 1,500 sailors, has been transformed into the so-called "frigate mechanized battalion", operating within the First Guards Tank Army.

This unit initially fought around Kharkiv and now supports regular units assaulting Pokrovsk, wrote "Forbes".

The magazine suggested that this is further evidence of the insufficient number of soldiers available to the command in Ukraine and the tragic state of large ships in the Russian fleet. It added that most of them are relics of the Cold War.

The article's authors pointed out that this is not an isolated case and highlights the difficulties Russians face in replenishing frontline losses, which amount to about 30,000 soldiers per month.

After fires and technical problems with the Admiral Kuznetsov, the refurbished ship was supposed to leave the port of Murmansk, after eight years of inactivity, this spring. However, as "Forbes" reported, the aircraft carrier is still moored in the port.

A military expert from a university in Perm, Russia, Pavel Luzin, stated that Russia does not have the capability to build a new unit of this class because the engines are the problem. Previously, most of the USSR's navy was powered by engines from Ukrainian factories. At the same time, due to technological shortages, Russia itself is not able to produce such engines, added the expert.