Russian aircraft carrier crew joins battle on Ukrainian frontlines

The crew of the only aircraft carrier in the Russian army's arsenal, Admiral Kuznetsov, is fighting on land in Ukraine, reported the Forbes magazine portal. The decision to delegate sailors to land units is related to personnel shortages and the technical condition of the aircraft carrier.

The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is, or rather, as Forbes assessed, was the largest ship in the Russian fleet. Built at the end of the last century, it was tested in combat only once—in 2016 during the civil war in Syria, where the Russian army supported the troops of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The aircraft carrier's crew, consisting of 1,500 sailors, has been transformed into the so-called "frigate mechanized battalion", operating within the First Guards Tank Army.

This unit initially fought around Kharkiv and now supports regular units assaulting Pokrovsk, wrote Forbes.

The magazine suggested that this is further evidence of the insufficient number of soldiers at the command's disposal in Ukraine and the tragic state of large ships in the Russian fleet. It added that most of them are relics of the Cold War.

The article's authors pointed out that this is not an isolated case and shows the difficulties Russians face in replenishing frontline losses, which amount to about 30,000 soldiers per month.

After fires and technical problems with Admiral Kuznetsov, the refurbished ship was supposed to leave the port of Murmansk, after eight years of inactivity, this spring. However, as Forbes reported, the aircraft carrier is still moored in the port.

A military expert from a university in Perm, Russia, Pavel Luzin, stated that Russia cannot build a new unit of this class because the engines are the problem. Previously, most of the USSR's navy was powered by engines from Ukrainian factories. At the same time, Russia is unable to produce such engines due to technological shortages, added the expert.