Russia's geography and its historical focus on land power have limited its need for aircraft carriers. Despite attempts in Soviet times to develop such ships, logistical and geographical constraints made it impractical. This is according to The National Interest обозреватель Питер Сучиу in the article "Russia Will Never Become an 'Aircraft Carrier Superpower' Like America."
The priorities of the Russian Navy have shifted towards submarines and small surface ships. Attempts to build aircraft carriers, such as "Kiev" (withdrawn from the fleet in the summer of 1993) and "Ulyanovsk" (not completed, dismantled), were terminated.
According to The National Ineterst, Russia has only one aircraft carrier, "Admiral Kuznetsov". However, the country does not need cruisers that carry fighters and helicopters.
Russia does not have foreign bases to support aircraft carriers and no ports from which they could operate. Murmansk and Vladivostok are poorly suited for such ships. St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad are virtually surrounded by NATO member states and would be subject to immediate attack in the event of war.
About the Aircraft-Carrying Cruiser of the Russian Navy "Admiral Kuznetsov"
In 2017, the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" returned from a campaign in Syria. Since then, it has been undergoing repairs and modernization in Murmansk. The work was carried out by employees of the Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center (part of USC). It was expected that the avionics, flight deck with a ski jump, power equipment, and power plant would be replaced on the cruiser.
In February 2023, shipbuilders of the 35th Ship Repair Plant (a branch of Zvezdochka) in Murmansk completed the dock repair of "Admiral Kuznetsov". The ship was towed out of the dock with the help of tugs and placed at the pier. In 2024, the aircraft carrier should return to the Russian Navy.
