Russian navy’s decline: 'Admiral Nakhimov' in focus

Project 1144 missile cruisers are substantial ships. They have a displacement of approximately 26,300 tonnes, hulls 252 metres long, two nuclear reactors below deck giving them unlimited range, and 20 launchers for anti-ship P-700 Granit missiles, each 10 metres long and weighing about 6,800 kilograms. There are also 12 launchers for S-300F Fort air defense missiles, short-range launchers, and powerful artillery.

The Soviet Union constructed four such units in the 1970s and 80s—one of project 1144 and three improved versions under project 11442. The building of large ships was part of an ambitious plan aimed at transforming the Soviet navy into an ocean-going fleet capable of challenging the US Navy.

Forty years ago, the specifications of the Project 1144 missile cruisers might have been impressive, but today the pride of the Russian fleet is more like a "blind boxer"—vessels theoretically possessing strong offensive armament yet dramatically outdated sensors, helpless against modern electronic warfare, and incapable of self-defense. The fate of the cruiser "Moskva" (a vessel half the size, representing project 1164), which was destroyed by the Ukrainians, shows what can happen when a ship from a previous era is sent into battle.

The Russians are well aware of the weaknesses of the last big ships in their fleet. That’s why they decommissioned two of the four project 1144 units at the beginning of the 21st century, and the flagship of the Northern Fleet, "Pyotr Veliky," is soon to make its way to the repair yard. This transition is expected to occur following the modernization of the twin unit "Admiral Nakhimov". The current plan is for "Nakhimov" to return to service in 2026, and for "Pyotr Veliky" to be removed from the fleet roster in 2030.

The issue is that the Russian cruiser has been under repair since 1997. It's noteworthy—that the extremely prolonged renovation or construction times do not imply work was ongoing for consecutive years. The work was initiated, halted, and then resumed multiple times, depending on current political decisions.

Despite this, the service history of the Russian cruiser is unusual. Launched in 1986 and incorporated into the fleet in 1988, the ship entered the repair yard in 1997 and hasn’t left since. In the past decade, the Kremlin has announced several times that the large ship would return to service in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and now claims it will be 2026. Ukrainians estimate—though verifying the accuracy of these estimates is challenging—that the modernization has already cost up to $5 billion.

A glimmer of hope for finally completing the exceptionally long renovation emerges from the information that one of the two KN-3 nuclear reactors, each with an output of around 150 megawatts, powering the "Admiral Nakhimov," has been started. According to Ukrainian sources, this occurred on December 20, 2024, although Russian media reported it with a significant delay.

The reconstruction of "Admiral Nakhimov," though it will not transform it into a modern warship, aims to significantly boost its capabilities. This involves installing an 80-container vertical launcher system, UKSK 3S14. This is the Russian equivalent of the Western Mk 41 VLS launchers, allowing warships to carry varied armaments—depending on the tasks at hand—housed in concealed vertical launchers beneath the deck.

This solution will enable the old ship to launch modern Russian missiles for attacking ships and land targets, such as Zircon, Oniks, or Kalibr. For the Russian fleet, 80 launch containers constitute a very large number. It’s worth noting that American Ticonderoga-class cruisers, which have a displacement three times smaller, are equipped with 122 Mk 41 VLS launchers.

Russian propaganda will surely portray the potential return to service of "Admiral Nakhimov" as a major success and a substantial enhancement of the navy. Several years ago, the TASS agency, announcing "Nakhimov’s" return to service, called it the most powerful warship in the world.

This claim is evidently false, and the facts tell a different story. The Russian navy, which even in the 1980s aspired to be an ocean-going fleet, is gradually eroding and losing its capabilities.

The largest Russian warship—the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov"—has been undergoing problematic repairs for so long that the Russian naval aviation has effectively ceased to exist, similar to the trained crew of the ship, part of which was sent as infantry to the war in Ukraine.

The two nuclear missile cruisers are "Admiral Nakhimov," which is still in endless repairs, and "Pyotr Veliky," which is awaiting repairs. Two smaller, conventionally powered cruisers, "Varyag" and "Marshal Ustinov," are contemporaries of "Moskva" with similar capabilities.

Russia can still organize propaganda voyages to Cuba or conduct joint patrols with China near Japan or Alaska, but in terms of potential, its navy is a shadow of the maritime power that the Soviet Union sought to establish years ago.

Russian shipyards continue to build frigates, corvettes, submarines, and new landing ships, but the number of new units is insufficient to replace older, retired ships and rejuvenate the fleet generationally.

Propaganda reports about plans to build large, new-generation warships, such as a nuclear aircraft carrier based on a design from the 1980s, project 1143.7, can be considered entirely unreliable. The pinnacle of Russia's current capabilities seems to be the delayed completion of the large amphibious assault ships of project 23900 Priboi.

Nonetheless, this does not mean the threat from Russian warships should be underestimated, especially in the Baltic, where submarines still pose a significant threat despite the limited capabilities of Russian surface units.

Although Russia's project 677 (Lada type) proved unsuccessful, the old, proven units of project 636 (currently 636.3) are still in production. Some of them are armed not just with torpedoes but can also launch Kalibr cruise missiles from underwater, posing a threat to shipping and land targets.