At the end of December 2024, russia successfully activated the reactor on the Admiral Nakhimov nuclear-powered battlecruiser, a Project 1144.2 Orlan-class vessel that has been under continuous repair since 1997—meaning it has spent more time in dry dock than at sea.
russia has already invested the equivalent of $5 billion into this cruiser, which is intended to be equipped with launchers for up to 80 missiles. However, despite this massive expenditure, Admiral Nakhimov is still no closer to returning to active service with the russian Navy, with its reactivation already postponed until 2026. Still, the mere fact that the reactor has been restarted on this long-overdue project may serve as an important signal.
Read more: russia’s Admiral Nakhimov battlecruiser’s Reactor Was Launched While Its Repair Completion Deadline Was Postponed Again
To interpret this signal, an insightful perspective comes from a publication by The War Zone, whose authors view the development within the broader context of russia’s efforts to restore its naval "great power" status. They emphasize that, at this stage, russia has little choice but to complete Admiral Nakhimov’s overhaul.
The reasoning is as follows: during the Soviet era, only four ships of this class were built, including Nakhimov. Two—Admiral Ushakov and Admiral Lazarev—have already been scrapped. The only remaining vessel, Pyotr Velikiy, technically still serves as the flagship of russia’s Northern Fleet, but it is also slated for decommissioning due to its poor technical condition. However, russia cannot afford to scrap this ship just yet, as prestige concerns prevent them from doing so.
In this context, completing the overhaul of Admiral Nakhimov has become a strategic necessity for russia. This ambition is further fueled by the fact that russia remains the only country in the world whose navy still formally operates nuclear-powered missile cruisers. The U.S. Navy decommissioned its equivalent Long Beach-class cruisers back in the 1990s for "budgetary reasons."
Another key aspect is that the russians have not only announced plans to equip Admiral Nakhimov with as many as 80 launchers for Kalibr missiles or even Zircon hypersonic missiles, but they have also begun implementing this plan.
The War Zone authors cite footage from russian propaganda sources showing that the russians have already dismantled Nakhimov’s primary armament—20 launchers for P-700 Granit missiles. As a result, russia’s military defense industry now has no option but to install new missile systems on the ship.
Moreover, the available footage suggests that during the overhaul, Admiral Nakhimov was essentially gutted, with its old equipment removed to make way for modern systems. In effect, the ship now resembles an empty shell awaiting new "filling"—weapons and onboard systems.
That said, it would be inaccurate to claim that russia is diverting resources from its war against Ukraine to fund the Admiral Nakhimov project. In reality, the war itself has caused delays in the ship’s modernization due to resource constraints.
Nevertheless, all of the above clearly demonstrates how determined the Kremlin is to pursue its naval ambitions by modernizing one of its two remaining nuclear-powered cruisers. This effort stands in stark contrast to the Lider-class nuclear destroyer project, which, as we previously reported, has remained nothing more than a paper concept.
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