Meanwhile, their only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, is reportedly heading to the scrapheap after 9 years and $1 billion wasted on failed repairs. It is in such terrible shape that no one even wants to buy it for scrap metal.
Which begs the question: how is the legendary Russian submarine fleet holding up?
The reality under the surface isn’t much better. Submarine maintenance requires advanced high-tech alloys, precision engineering, and specialized electronics—precisely the things Russia can no longer import due to sanctions. While they still have a few modern hulls, the majority of the fleet is plagued by:
Noisy propulsion systems: Lack of precision parts makes them easier for NATO to track.
Delayed refits: Shipyards are clogged with broken surface ships and starved of cash.
Safety cuts: A dangerous cocktail when dealing with nuclear reactors.
A self-proclaimed naval superpower, now reduced to a green-water navy with rusted hulls and empty docks