Recently, it became known that russia might finally scrap its Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier. Now, russians are complaining that another vessel — the Admiral Chabanenko large anti-submarine ship, whose repair and modernization are also being handled by the 35th Ship Repair Plant — may suffer the same fate.
According to russian propaganda media, the repair and modernization of Chabanenko were supposed to be completed this year, but the exact completion date is now unknown and has been postponed indefinitely. The United Shipbuilding Corporation has also provided no estimates on when the ship will return from repairs.
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Work on the Admiral Chabanenko has already been delayed for 11 years — the ship entered repairs in 2014. It was expected to undergo a significant modernization, including the installation of modern weapon systems.
However, after the first "few years" originally allocated for the work, the timeline for its return to active service has been repeatedly pushed back. russian media are now openly speculating about the ship’s fate.
On one hand, some claim that if the repairs are not completed soon, Chabanenko should be retired. On the other, they cite the example of another large anti-submarine ship, Vice Admiral Kulakov, which spent 20 years in repairs, from 1990 to 2010, before returning to service with the Northern Fleet.
The Admiral Chabanenko, locally classified as Project 1155.1 "large anti-submarine ship" while known in NATO as Udaloy II-class, is technically part of the Northern Fleet of the russian Navy. The ship was designed in the 1970s, launched in 1992, and commissioned into the russian Navy in 1999.
Repairs and modernization began in 2014. After the upgrade, the ship was intended to be reclassified as a frigate — it was to be equipped with four Uran missile launchers carrying 16 Kh-35 cruise missiles, as well as launchers for 16 Kalibr, Oniks, or Zircon missiles. Additionally, the Kortik air-defense system was to be replaced with the Pantsir-M.
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