List of aircraft carriers built in the Soviet Union
This list of aircraft carriers built in the Soviet Union comprises all aircraft carriers construction in the same Black Sea Shipyard of Mykolaiv (Russian spelling: Nikolayev) in the Ukrainian SSR.[1] As of 2026, one carrier is still in Indian service, another still in Chinese service; the rest has been decommissioned. Although listed as aircraft carriers, none of them (with the exception of the never-built Ulyanovsk) have been classed as a "true" aircraft carrier (supercarrier). Specifically, they were all ASW helicopter carriers or aircraft cruisers, including the Admiral Kuznetsov, the only carrier that was still in service with the Russian Navy until it was decommissioned in 2025.
| Name | Class | Type | Commission | Decommissioned | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moskva | Moskva class | Helicopter carrier | 1967 | 1996 | |
| Leningrad | Moskva class | Helicopter carrier | 1969 | 1991 | |
| Kiev | Kiev class | Aircraft cruiser | 1975 | 1993 | Sold to Chinese company. Converted to military theme park, then hotel.[2] |
| Minsk | Kiev class | Aircraft cruiser | 1978 | 1993 | Sold initially for scrap. Re-sold to China as museum piece. |
| Novorossiysk | Kiev class | Aircraft cruiser | 1982 | 1993 | Scrapped in 1997 in Pohang, South Korea. |
| Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov (Baku till 1991) | Kiev class (modified) | Aircraft cruiser | 1987 | 1996 | Modified, rebuilt and sold to India. Re-commissioned 2013 as INS Vikramaditya.[3] |
| Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov | Admiral Kuznetsov | Aircraft cruiser | 1990 | 2025 | Decommissionned from the Russian Navy. |
| Varyag | Admiral Kuznetsov | Aircraft cruiser | 2012 | Launched 1988, construction stopped 1992; hull sold by Ukraine to China. Completed 2012 as Liaoning.[4] | |
| Ulyanovsk | Ulyanovsk | Supercarrier | Keel laid 1988, stopped 1991, scrapped 1992. |
Trivia
As of 2017, Russia was considering building a supercarrier, code-named Project Shtorm. As of 2026, the proposal still has not been approved.
See also
References
- ↑ No aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union was ever built anywhere else than in the shipyard of Mykolaiv in the Ukrainian SSR. Neither the Russian Federation (since 1991) nor the Russian Empire (before 1917) has ever constructed an aircraft carrier.
- ↑ Nassef, Ghada (19 August 2011). "China turns aircraft carrier into a luxury hotel". BBC News. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ↑ "Russia Delays INS Vikramaditya (Adm Gorshkov) Delivery Till 2012". India Defence. 11 November 2008. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
- ↑ Krishnamoorthy, Nandini (15 November 2016). "China says first aircraft carrier now ready to 'fight against enemies'". International Business Times. Retrieved 15 November 2016.