Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov suffers onboard fire again

Russian state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti has reported that a fire ignited on board the Russian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier as it was undergoing repairs in Murmansk on Thursday, December 22.

The fire incident is the second to occur on Admiral Kuznetsov following an earlier one that left one person dead while the ship was undergoing repairs, also in Murmansk, on December 12, 2019.

The ongoing overhaul was being carried out to repair the damage caused by the earlier fire.

Aleksey Rakhmanov, the head of state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), clarified that the blaze on Kuznetsov was quickly extinguished and there were no casualties or damage.

Around 20 people were working on the carrier when the incident occurred. All were evacuated safely.

The ship was originally scheduled to re-enter service in 2024 following completion of the current overhaul. However, recent estimates show this return to service will likely be further delayed.