The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s only aircraft carrier and flagship of the Russian Navy, caught fire while in port for years-long repairs, state Media TASS reports.
The head of United Shipbuilding Corporation, which is the contractor responsible for repairs, stated that the fire was “small” and was rapidly extinguished, with no damage or “casualties”.
The carrier has been fraught with delays and accidents since it was overhauled in 2017, with the date ready, at the time, to be 2022, but the launch date has been pushed back to 2024.
The Admiral Kuznetsov had a hole punched into it when a floating dock sank, sending a crane crashing through its hull.
The Russian Navy has been the subject of numerous setbacks since the invasion of Ukraine, where the flagship of the Crimean Fleet, the Moskva, was sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles. Other minor ships such as landing craft have also been sunk.
