Despite possessing the largest landmass of any country on the globe and a storied history of military might, Russia has conspicuously lacked a fleet of aircraft carriers, the floating fortresses that have long been emblematic of naval superiority.

Russia’s naval history is littered with missteps and setbacks, from the catastrophic losses in the Russo-Japanese War to the more recent sinking of the Moskva, the largest warship lost in combat since World War II.

Throughout its history, Russia has faced geographical constraints that have influenced its naval strategy.

After the crippling defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia’s focus shifted towards rebuilding its naval strength. However, throughout the conflict, the operational capacity of Russia’s Baltic Fleet was constrained by the close presence of the German High Seas Fleet.

Despite this challenge, Russia achieved a notable triumph at the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in August 1915.

Similarly, the Russian Black Sea Fleet successfully maintained control over the respective region during the war, although its involvement in other military operations was notably limited.

The early Soviet era saw attempts to rebuild the navy, but the focus was not on carriers.

In the 1920s and 1930s, while the United States, Great Britain, and Japan were embracing aircraft carriers, the Soviet Union prioritized the development of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers.

Throughout the Cold War, Moscow acknowledged the importance of maintaining a substantial and formidable navy, despite being primarily known as a land power.

However, the Soviets chose to emphasize the expansion of their submarine fleet over investing in large surface vessels.

The Moskva-class helicopter carriers of the 1960s and the Kiev-class carriers of the 1970s did not represent true aircraft carriers, as they lacked the capability to carry any fixed-wing aircraft.

The Kiev-class carriers, notable for their deployment of the Yak-38 VTOL fighters and the heavy anti-ship missile, the Sandbox, were a response to the perceived need to counter U.S. naval aviation capabilities.

The Soviets proceeded with the development of the Kiev-class carriers, with three vessels being completed and remaining in service until the early 1990s. A fourth carrier was refurbished and sold to India, where it currently operates as the INS Vikramaditya.

Additionally, Moscow initiated the Project 1143.5 class of carriers, including the Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov, now Russia’s only operational carrier, and the unfinished Varyag, which was being constructed when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. A supercarrier, the Ulyanovsk, was also in the works for the Soviet Navy towards the conclusion of the Cold War, but the project was abandoned following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Russia has consistently faced challenges in constructing and upkeeping carriers, exemplified by the enduring complications surrounding the refurbishment of Admiral Kuznetsov. Furthermore, the country’s infrastructure is insufficient to accommodate the necessary facilities for supporting such vessels.

Relevant articles:
– Russia Has a Good Reason for Never Building a Fleet of Aircraft Carriers, The National Interest
– Aircraft Carriers: Why Russia Never Built a Fleet of These Powerful Warships, nationalinterest.org
– Russia’s Last Aircraft Carrier Is in Such Bad Shape It Can’t Sail Anywhere, The National Interest
– Russia failed to build a fleet of aircraft carriers for a reason, Center for Security Policy