As Russia’s only aircraft carrier falls apart, some Russians want to undo a shady ship deal with China 25 years ago
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in Murmansk in May 2022.Semen Vasileyev/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesRussia’s sole aircraft carrier has been sidelined for years and may not see action again.A Russian lawmaker has proposed trying to buy China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier as a replacement.Liaoning began life as a Soviet carrier, but China acquired it in a shady sale in the late 1990s.Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, is in such a bad shape that it may be easier to buy a replacement than to fix it.
In a sign of how low Russia’s military has sunk, a…