Editing Kirov-class battlecruiser (section)

==History==
Originally built for the [[Soviet Navy]], the class is named after the first of a series of four ships constructed, {{ship|Russian battlecruiser|Admiral Ushakov||2}}, named ''Kirov'' until 1992. Original plans called for construction of five ships. The fifth vessel was planned to be named ''Fleet Admiral of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov'', also referred as ''Dzerzhinsky''.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The name was later changed to ''Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya'' ([[October Revolution]]),<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1144-list.htm |title=Kirov Class – Project 1144.2 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |date=19 March 2012 |access-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222101437/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1144-list.htm |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> and then just ''Kuznetsov'';<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1144.htm |title=Kirov Class – Project 1144.2 |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222101439/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/1144.htm |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> but on 4 October 1990, plans for construction of a fifth vessel were abandoned.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

The lead ship of the class, {{ship|Soviet battlecruiser|Kirov||2}}, was laid down in March 1974 at [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]]'s [[Baltiysky Naval Shipyard]], launched on 27 December 1977 and commissioned on 30 December 1980. When she appeared for the first time, [[NATO]] observers called her BALCOM I (Baltic Combatant I). ''Kirov'' suffered a reactor accident in 1990 during her second deployment, which was in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Repairs were never carried out due to lack of funds and the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991)|changing political situation]] in the [[Soviet Union]], and she was placed in reserve where she was renamed ''Admiral Ushakov'' in 1992.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/04/13/russia-is-trying-to-restore-a-giant-nuclear-battlecruiser-its-not-working-out/?sh=71cac1421d1a | title=Russia is Trying to Restore a Giant Nuclear Battlecruiser—It's Not Working Out | website=[[Forbes]] }}</ref> She is presently laid up and was slated to be scrapped in 2021.

{{ship|Soviet battlecruiser|Frunze||2}}, the second vessel in the class, was commissioned in 1984. She was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. In 1992, she was renamed ''Admiral Lazarev''. The ship became inactive in 1994 and was decommissioned four years later. On 21 February 2021, the Russian Armed Forces and the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, signed a contract to dismantle and scrap the nuclear powered heavy cruiser. ''Admiral Lazarev'' set sail 30 April 2021 for 30th Shipyard. Dismantlement should be completed by 30 November 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Ryan |title=Russia to scrap nuclear battlecruiser Admiral Lazarev |url=https://navalpost.com/admiral-lazarev-scrap-kirov-class-battlecruiser/ |website=Naval Post |date=21 February 2021 |access-date=13 October 2021}}</ref>

{{ship|Soviet battlecruiser|Kalinin||2}}, now ''Admiral Nakhimov'', was the third ship to enter service, in 1988. She was also assigned to the Northern Fleet. Renamed ''Admiral Nakhimov'' in 1992, she was mothballed in 1999 and reactivated in 2005. She is undergoing overhaul and modernization at [[Sevmash|Severodvinsk Shipyard]].

Construction of the fourth ship, ''Yuriy Andropov'', encountered many delays; her construction was started in 1986 but was not commissioned until 1998. She was renamed {{ship|Russian battlecruiser|Pyotr Veliky||2}} (after [[Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]]) in 1992.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |first=Ю.В. |last=Апалков |date=2003 |title=Ударные корабли, Том II, часть I |location=Санкт-Петербург |publisher=Галея Принт |language=ru}}</ref> She currently serves as the flagship of Russia's [[Northern Fleet]].

In 1983, a [[command and control]] ship, [[Soviet communications ship SSV-33|''SSV-33 Ural'']], was launched, although the ship would not be officially commissioned until 1989. She utilized the basic hull design of the ''Kirov''-class vessels, but with a modified superstructure, different armament, and was intended for a different role within the Soviet Navy. ''Ural'' was decommissioned and laid up in 2001, due to high operating costs, and scrapped starting in 2010.

On 23 March 2004, English language press reported the Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief, Fleet Admiral [[Vladimir Kuroedov]] said ''Pyotr Veliky''{{'}}s reactor was in an extremely bad condition and could explode "at any moment", a statement which may have been the result of internal politics within the Russian Navy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/navy/northern_fleet/incidents/32924 |title=Kuroyedov declares 'Peter the Great' could explode 'at any moment' |first=Charles |last=Digges |date=23 March 2004 |website=Bellona |access-date=28 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929123430/http://www.bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/navy/northern_fleet/incidents/32924 |archive-date=29 September 2011}}</ref> The ship was sent to port for a month, and the crew lost one-third of their pay.

Russia initially planned to reactivate ''Admiral Ushakov'' and {{ship|Russian battlecruiser|Admiral Lazarev||2}} by 2020,<ref name=rian20120920 /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rianovosti.com/military_news/20130613/181647304/Upgraded-Nuclear-Cruiser-to-Rejoin-Russian-Navy-in-2018.html |title=Upgraded Nuclear Cruiser to Rejoin Russian Navy in 2018 |website=[[RIA Novosti]] |date=13 June 2013 |access-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615213933/http://www.rianovosti.com/military_news/20130613/181647304/Upgraded-Nuclear-Cruiser-to-Rejoin-Russian-Navy-in-2018.html |archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref> but it was later indicated that the condition of the reactor cores of both ships was such that it would prove difficult, expensive and potentially dangerous to remove the spent nuclear fuel and repair the cores. As a consequence, both ships were earmarked for scrapping in 2021.<ref name="NavRec6991">{{Cite web |url=https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2019/april/6991-russia-four-submarines-and-two-cruisers-to-be-scrapped-by-2021.html |title=Russia: four submarines and two cruisers to be scrapped by 2021 |date=April 2019 |website=Navyrecognition.com |access-date=4 May 2021}}</ref> The scrapping of ''Admiral Lazarev'' began in early 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://zakupki.gov.ru/epz/contract/contractCard/common-info.html?reestrNumber=1770641334821000012 |title=Карточка контракта № 1770641334821000012: Утилизация тяжелого атомного ракетного крейсера "Адмирал Лазарев" проекта 1144.1 заводской № 801 |trans-title=Contract card No. 1770641334821000012: Disposal of the heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Admiral Lazarev" of project 1144.1 serial number 801 |website=[[Federal Treasury (Russia)|Federal Treasury]] |language=ru |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=4 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504143850/https://zakupki.gov.ru/epz/contract/contractCard/common-info.html?reestrNumber=1770641334821000012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of early 2022, only {{ship|Russian battlecruiser|Pyotr Velikiy||2}} was operational. Modernization of ''Admiral Nakhimov'' is ongoing and was reported, in 2021, to continue until "at least" 2023,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://tass.com/defense/1274887 |title=Handover of Admiral Nakhimov battlecruiser to Russian navy postponed – source |date=7 April 2021 |website=TASS}}</ref> with the modernization of ''Pyotr Velikiy'' to immediately follow and last for about three years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2015-09-russias-flagship-nuclear-battle-cruiser-the-worlds-largest-puts-in-for-repairs |title=Russia's flagship nuclear battle cruiser – the world's largest – puts in for repairs |date=9 September 2015 |website=Bellona.org |access-date=13 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314063412/http://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2015-09-russias-flagship-nuclear-battle-cruiser-the-worlds-largest-puts-in-for-repairs |archive-date=14 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/deadly-russian-warship-closest-thing-battleship-sailing-today-45077 |title=This Deadly Russian Warship Is the Closest Thing to a Battleship Sailing Today |date=20 February 2019 |magazine=The National Interest |access-date=1 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501070937/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/deadly-russian-warship-closest-thing-battleship-sailing-today-45077 |archive-date=1 May 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, in early 2022, Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnichenko stated that the ship would be delivered to the Russian Navy in 2022. This deadline would also be missed, and Sevmash later clarified that they expected to return the ship to service in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Новости |first=Р. И. А. |date=2023-02-27 |title=Атомный ракетный крейсер "Адмирал Нахимов" вернется на флот в 2024 году |url=https://ria.ru/20230227/nakhimov-1854515850.html |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=РИА Новости |language=ru}}</ref>

The modernization of ''Admiral Nakhimov'' and her sister ship is to be extensive, with ''Admiral Nakhimov'' expected to receive 174 Vertical-launch (VLS) tubes: 80 for anti-surface and 94 for anti-air warfare, among other upgrades.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/madeinrussianfederation/videos/admiral-nakhimov-modernization-february-2020/2512589785674133/ |title=Admiral Nakhimov modernization. February 2020 |author=madeinrussia |via=Facebook|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> In early 2022, the Sevmash CEO noted that weapons systems for ''Admiral Nakhimov'' would include: the Fort-M (NATO reporting name: SA-N-6 Grumble) and Pantsyr-M (SA-22 Greyhound) air defense systems and [[Paket-NK]] and [[Otvet]] antisubmarine warfare weapons. It was also reported that the cruiser would potentially be armed with up to 60 [[3M22 Zircon]] hypersonic anti-ship missiles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/02/russias-sevmash-shipyard-says-it-will-deliver-admiral-nakhimov-in-2022/|title = Russia's Sevmash Shipyard Says it Will Deliver Admiral Nakhimov in 2022|date = 18 February 2022}}</ref>