On the ever-changing stage of international politics, aircraft carriers have always played an irreplaceable role as an important symbol of a nation's military power.
They are not only symbols of a nation's projection of force but also key components in the global competition for supremacy.
However, as the successor of a former superpower, Russia has faced significant difficulties in developing its aircraft carriers, and the reasons behind this struggle are intriguing.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the once-mighty Red Navy quickly disintegrated, leaving Russia with only a few aging warships and a dilapidated fleet.
Among them, the only vessel that could be called an aircraft carrier, the "Admiral Kuznetsov," is like an aging giant struggling to survive amidst storms.
Commissioned in 1991, the "Admiral Kuznetsov" carried the ambitions of the Russian Navy, but since its commissioning, it has been plagued by problems: aging hulls, frequent accidents, and chronic lack of maintenance have put this solitary giant in a predicament.
The 2018 sinking accident of the PD-50 floating dock especially delayed the repair process of the "Kuznetsov," making its fate even more uncertain.
Why is Russia's aircraft carrier development so challenging? The reasons lie not only in economic difficulties but also in technical constraints.
Building and maintaining aircraft carriers is extremely expensive. They can be seen as "money-eating beasts," with maintenance costs alone enough to deter most nations.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's economy remained in a state of long-term recession, placing enormous pressure on the national budget, making it impossible to bear the immense costs of aircraft carriers.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia's military expenditure in 2022 was approximately $86.4 billion, a figure that ranks third globally. However, this pales in comparison to the $877 billion defense budget of the United States.
With limited military spending, Russia has had to prioritize ensuring the operation of its nuclear arsenal and strategic missile forces to maintain its strategic deterrent capabilities.
As an offensive weapon, aircraft carriers are not a short-term priority for Russia.
Thus, carrier development plans are repeatedly shelved or delayed, further exacerbating the Russian Navy's predicament.
In addition to economic constraints, technical deficiencies are also a major reason for the slow development of Russia's aircraft carriers.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's shipbuilding industry suffered a severe blow, with significant brain drain, making it difficult to independently design and build modern aircraft carriers.
Moreover, Western countries have long imposed technology embargoes on Russia, restricting the export of critical equipment and technologies, making it challenging for Russia to advance in this field.
The construction of aircraft carriers requires materials such as high-strength steel, advanced gas turbines, and complex carrier-based radar systems, most of which Russia cannot produce independently and must import.
Western technological embargoes have completely cut off the supply of these crucial materials, severely limiting Russia’s carrier development, which now faces significant obstacles.
Faced with the dual difficulties of economy and technology, Russia has chosen a military development path different from the West—what is known as the "asymmetric" strategy.
Rather than engaging in an expensive aircraft carrier race with Western countries, Russia has favored the development of asymmetric threat systems such as nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles, thereby countering Western military advantages at relatively low costs.
Russia possesses the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, with a "triad" nuclear strike capability, including land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers, capable of delivering devastating strikes on any global target.
At the same time, Russia has made significant progress in the field of hypersonic weapons in recent years, with systems such as the "Kinzhal" missile and "Avangard" missile.
These missiles, with their extreme speed and penetration capabilities, can bypass existing missile defense systems, posing a serious threat to Western countries.
Through this strategy, Russia has successfully maintained strategic deterrence against the West with limited resources, ensuring its national security and core interests.
Despite facing numerous difficulties, Russia has not given up on its dream of developing aircraft carriers.
In recent years, there have been multiple reports of Russia designing and building new aircraft carriers, such as the 23000E "Storm" class carrier.
However, most of these projects remain in the design phase, and when they will actually be completed and operational is still unknown.
In the foreseeable future, given economic and technological constraints, Russia will find it difficult to compete with the U.S. and other Western countries in the field of aircraft carriers.
Yet, as comprehensive maritime combat platforms, aircraft carriers' importance cannot be underestimated. Although Russia cannot fully catch up, it will not completely abandon aircraft carrier development, as they still play a unique role in safeguarding national sovereignty and protecting overseas interests.
Russia’s journey in developing aircraft carriers has been full of twists and challenges.
Behind this reflects a former superpower's difficult transition and balancing act in the global landscape.
Faced with economic, technological, and international embargo pressures, Russia has chosen an "asymmetric" strategy to maintain its strategic deterrence and military presence at the lowest possible cost.
How Russia’s carrier plans will evolve in the future remains a topic of interest.
Through this historical lens, we can not only see Russia’s difficult decisions in aircraft carrier development but also glimpse its survival strategies and approaches to dealing with international situations.
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