Expert: Russian "Peter the Great" Cruiser "Not Worth Repairing"
According to a report by Reference News Network on November 3, Russian news outlet Lenta reported on October 30 that Vladimir Martsev, head of the naval support campaign in Russia, revealed that a special committee has preliminarily determined that the repair and modernization plan for the "Peter the Great" heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser is not cost-effective.
Martsev stated, "The committee has preliminarily concluded that the cruiser is not worth repairing."
He indicated that the aging of this warship has become quite severe.
The "Peter the Great" is the flagship of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet. The ship was launched in 1989 and officially joined the Russian Navy in 1998.
Martsev believes that if conditions permit, the "Peter the Great" should undergo upgrades. He stated that the 1144-class "Orlan" heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser, to which the "Peter the Great" belongs, is one of the most successful ship models in the history of Russian shipbuilding.
He also mentioned that, in addition to the "Peter the Great," the Russian Navy currently has another active nuclear-powered cruiser, the "Admiral Nakhimov."
As early as August 2025, former commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sergey Avakyants, stated that repairing the "Peter the Great" would be a losing proposition.
He believes that the repair costs of such a nuclear-powered cruiser are completely disproportionate to its combat effectiveness. Additionally, he was initially opposed to allocating funds for the repair of the "Admiral Nakhimov."
He said, "Absolutely no more money should be spent on the 'Peter the Great.'
Avakyants believes that using this funding to build several ocean-going warships capable of carrying modern weapons would be much more cost-effective, as the combined combat capability of several new warships "far exceeds that of such a giant warship."
As early as 2023, there were rumors about the possible decommissioning of the "Peter the Great." At that time, a source close to the Russian Navy told TASS that the decommissioning could be scheduled after the modernization and return to service of the sister ship "Admiral Nakhimov."
Current information indicates that the upgraded "Admiral Nakhimov" missile cruiser will complete state acceptance testing within the year. It is worth mentioning that the ship's repair and modernization project has been delayed multiple times over the years, with actual work officially starting in 2013, and the project costing over 200 billion rubles (approximately 2.5 billion USD). (Translated by Zhao Zhipeng)
A special committee has determined that the repair and modernization of the 'Peter the Great' heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser is not cost-effective. This cruiser, launched in 1989 and the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet, faces significant aging issues. The committee's findings align with previous statements from military officials regarding the disproportionate costs of repairs compared to operational effectiveness. Discussions about the potential retirement of the cruiser have also surfaced, particularly in relation to the modernization of the 'Admiral Nakhimov' cruiser.
- The 'Peter the Great' cruiser is deemed not worth repairing by a special committee.
- The cruiser is the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet and was launched in 1989.
- The repair costs are considered disproportionate to the operational effectiveness of the cruiser.
- The 'Admiral Nakhimov' is another active nuclear-powered cruiser in the Russian Navy.
- There have been discussions about the potential retirement of the 'Peter the Great' cruiser.