TYLER ROGOWAY
Russia's sole fixed-wing aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, returned from Syria late last winter to finally begin a long and supposedly deep refit and modernization that would allow it to serve for years to come. The carrier's overhaul, which had been put off time and time again over the last decade, is said to cost over $800M, and will take nearly half a decade to accomplish. But just as we at The War Zone had concerns about, it seems that Moscow is now significantly reducing the scope of work for the refit due to fiscal considerations, with only about half the funding needed for the original plan being provided. Interfax Russia first reported on the reduction in investment in the carrier, with their source stating:
"Instead of previously planned approximately $50B rubles for the work, it is planned to allocate about half of the previously announced amount."
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/15029/modernization-funds-slashed-for-russias-notoriously-rickety-aircraft-carrier
