She could sink: Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsovhas long been a source of ridicule and frustration. Designed as a training ship during the last years of the Soviet Union, it has aged poorly, plagued by poor craftsmanship, unreliable systems and its infamous trail of black smoke from obsolete Mazut fuel.

-Notably, during the Syrian Civil War, the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet followed the aircraft carrier, ready to help if it sank.

-Despite its obvious flaws, the ship has become a symbol of Russia’s determination to project power, a mission that, like the Kuznetsovfaces increasingly harsh realities.

The failed Russian aircraft carrier: the dark legacy of Admiral Kuznetsov

Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral KuznetsovIt is one of the longest-lasting embarrassments that the Russian Federation has been subjected to for years. Today, it sits in dry dock, its crew sent to the front lines of Russia’s bloody war with neighboring Ukraine, and it’s rusting. There is much talk, both within Russia and around the world, that Admiral Kuznetsov finally be suspended.

What the Russians are experiencing today with Admiral K is nothing new. It is not a byproduct of the carrier being decades old. Age has only made his problems worse. This ship has been a problem from the beginning.

Created In the waning years of the once-mighty Soviet Union, sailing on the high seas at a time when the newborn Russian Federation was an area of ​​instability in the world, this ship never stood a chance.

Still, the Russians keep it because it is a symbol of aspiration that the Russians will eventually become an aircraft carrier power on par with the Americans.

To be fair, Admiral Kuznetsov It was simply a training platform for the Russians to flex some of their maritime muscles in a way they had not been able to since the end of the Cold War. It was all part of Putin’s overall mission to restore Russia’s lost national greatness; indeed, this has been Putin’s raison d’être since he took power from Boris Yeltsin.

A tired old ship

However, with each increased deployment since Putin took power, the warship has taken a beating simply because it was a fucking horrible ship. Poor workmanship and terrible crew conditions are just some of the reasons evident on the surface. Poor combat capabilities, ancient systems, and to top it all off, your ship even spews thick, black smoke into the air, leaving a trail of soot for miles around, thanks to the mazut fuel you use! There is nothing good in this ship.

One incident, in particular, stands out now that we are talking about the abject horror of this ship. That is, during the warship’s deployment to the Mediterranean Sea during the height of the Syrian Civil War, Russia was secondary Embattled Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad along with Iran.

In 2011, the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet was tracking the historically terrible Russian warship. This was not because Americans, as they did in the glory days of the Cold War, feared Russian military prowess. Rather, it was because the Americans were convinced that the warship would sink at any moment. The Sixth Fleet was tidy track the carrier and be prepared to render aid when the ship finally sinks.

A symbol of Russian tenacity?

However, surprisingly this warship never sank. It’s like the little engine that could. So the Americans watched and waited. And this self-inflicted joke of a warship floated on, spilling toxic fuel into the pristine sea it traveled upon, belching black smoke for miles behind it as if the ship had been built by Orcs and struggling to maintain base power. However, this decrepit aircraft carrier left the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet area of ​​operations and returned to its home port.

It was a darkly comic and disturbing reminder that, by hook or by crook, Putin’s Russia was going to follow through with whatever bad decisions it deemed necessary.

Author’s experience and knowledge: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weicherta national security of National Interest analystis a former member of Congress and a geopolitical analyst who contributes to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is out October 22 from Encounter Books. You can follow Weichert on Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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