Type-001 (Kuznetsov)

The Admiral Kuznetsov is a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, the lead ship of its class, and the flagship of the Russian Navy. It is designed to support naval operations, project power, and provide air defense for the fleet.

Developed in the 1980s under Project 1143.5, the vessel was designed to transition the Soviet Navy from vertical takeoff aircraft to conventional carrier-based fighters like the Su-33. It was commissioned in January 1991, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, and subsequently integrated into the Russian Northern Fleet. The carrier saw its primary combat deployment in 2016, launching airstrikes against targets in Syria using its Su-33 and MiG-29K air wing. Plagued by accidents, fires, and drydock mishaps, the ship has been undergoing a protracted modernization and repair process in Murmansk since 2017, leaving its future operational status highly uncertain.