Putin’s disastrous aircraft carrier will sink if Russia tries to sail it after it suffered multiple fires and accidents, Ukraine claims

• The Admiral Kuznetsov, the flagship of the Russian navy, is seriously damaged
• It has suffered fires and fatal accidents during a £1billion refit over five years 
• Ukraine’s Defence Ministry claims the ship is now so ruined it will sink if sailed
• 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 ruinous state that it would sink if it were to sail again, it was reported today.

The Admiral Kuznetsov has been beset by fires and fatal accidents over the past five years as technicians have attempted a refit.

On December 8 last year, the 1,000ft vessel suffered substantial damage when it caught fire while moored in the port city of Murmansk, in northwest Russia.

Today, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry stated the Admiral Kuznetsov is in such ‘a state of emergency’ that it ‘cannot move under its own power’.

The Admiral Kuzentsov was launched in 1985 but has been at the centre of a troubled £1billion refit since 2017, with several high-profile accidents and fires

Fire engulfs the Admiral Kuznetsov in December 2019, in which two men lost their lives

The ministry noted that a decision had been made to transfer the ship to the docks of a ship repair plant.

However, it soon became clear the cruiser was not able to move without assistance. Attempts to tug the boat failed due to the poor condition of the ship’s hull – which divers found was suffering deep corrosion below the third deck. 

The holds were also found to be filled with muddy water, making an internal check impossible.

Now, according to Ukraine, ship repair specialists have warned the condition of Admiral Kuznetsov makes it impossible for it to launch and if it does, ‘it is highly likely that it will tip over on its side and [sink].’

In the incident last month, the Admiral Kuznetsov was docked in the Zvyozdochka shipyard in Murmansk for repairs when the blaze started in the cabins on the port side of the flagship of the Russian navy. 

The flagship of the Russian navy, the Admiral Kuznetsov now looks outdated compared with the nuclear-powered carriers of the United States

A source told Russia’s TASS news agency: ‘There was a fire on board the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is in the dry dock of the Zvyozdochka shipyard.

‘There were no casualties, 20 people were evacuated.’

The Admiral Kuznetsov has suffered a series of disasters since its launch in 1985 and is notorious for chugging black smoke.

It has been undergoing a £1billion refit since 2017, but it was seriously damaged in October 2018 when a 70-ton crane crashed on to its deck in October 2018 when a mammoth floating dock holding the ship sank.

The crane left a hole of 215 square feet, and the loss of the dock significantly slowed down repairs on the carrier.

One year later, in December 2019, the ship suffered a massive fire which saw two men lose their lives and 14 others were treated for smoke inhalation. 

With its turbines belching black smoke, the Admiral Kuznetsov now looks outdated compared with the nuclear-powered carriers of the United States.

However, the Kremlin has used it to project military might far from Russia’s shores.

In early 2017, the Admiral Kuznetsov was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean as part of Russia’s campaign in Syria, launching the first carrier-mounted attacks in Russian naval history.

It lost two carrier-borne fighters in incidents during the Syria mission.

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