Russia deploys sailors from its only aircraft carrier to war zone in Ukraine due to personnel shortages – Forbes

Sailors who served on the Russian Navy's sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, have likely been deployed to the war zone in Ukraine.

Source: Forbes, citing data from analysts from the OSINT project Moklasen 

Details: Forbes reports that the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which has remained out of service for eight years, may never return to combat duty.

The magazine notes that the warship's crew is being sent to the battlefield in Ukraine, another indication of the crisis in the Russian Armed Forces.

A Moklasen analyst observed that a portion of the Admiral Kuznetsov's 1,500-strong crew has been reassigned to the ground forces, forming a "frigate" battalion now engaged in combat operations as part of the 1st Guards Tank Army.

Forbes says this unit initially fought in Kharkiv Oblast and was later redeployed to the Pokrovsk front. At least one of the sailors from this battalion has gone missing in action.

Quote: "That the Russians are apparently pulling people from Kuznetsov isn’t surprising. The Kremlin is taking extreme measures to mobilise the 30,000 fresh troops it needs every month just to replace battlefield losses – killed, wounded and captured – in Ukraine."

For reference: The Admiral Kuznetsov is the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy, serving as the flagship of both the Navy and the Northern Fleet. During its last operation off the Syrian coast in 2016, the carrier lost several aircraft due to runway accidents. In 2018, it sustained damage when its repair dock flooded, and in 2019, the vessel caught fire while undergoing repairs.

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