As of July 2022,
Admiral Kuznetsov is out of service for a refit in
Murmansk. In November 2018, it was damaged by a falling 70-ton crane from the
floating dry dock PD-50 and a fire that killed two during the refit. The dry dock, which sank due to a power outage while holding
Admiral Kuznetsov,
[10] was vital to repairing the carrier,
[11] which changed its estimated return to service to 2022 or later.
[12] In 2021, the Vice President of the
United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), Vladimir Korolev, told the TASS news agency that the vessel was expected to begin post-repair sea trials in mid-2023 and rejoin the fleet later that year,
[13] although this may have been pushed back a year or more due to delays.
[14] In May 2022 it was reported that repairs to the vessel were scheduled for completion in Murmansk in September 2022
[15] but after flaws were found in the work, the date for the return to service was pushed back to at least 2024.
[16]