"Unprecedented threat": US assesses modernization of Admiral Nakhimov cruiser

26 May 2026 14 534 23

The Russian Navy has modernized and refitted massive but somewhat outdated Cold War-era battlecruisers, according to the American publication National Security Journal. The publication notes that these ships have been equipped with advanced interceptor missiles, close-in ship defense systems, improved integrated long-range air defense systems, and even hypersonic weapons.

Arming the cruiser with hypersonic missiles will be a significant step towards increasing the offensive firepower of the Russian cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, an Orlan-class cruiser from the 1980s.

– writes National Security Journal.

The author of the article adds that this step by the Russian Federation poses a real threat to the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.

If Russia does arm the modernized cruiser Admiral Nakhimov with 60 hypersonic missiles, many countries in the North Atlantic Alliance and the United States could face a huge and possibly unprecedented threat.

– the publication warns.

As a reminder, it was reported back in December 2024 that the Russian cruiser Admiral Nakhimov had completed its long-awaited modernization and begun factory trials.

Experts noted that the Admiral Nakhimov now carries modern Paket-NK and Otvet anti-submarine systems, improved Onyx anti-ship missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles, and, most importantly, Zircon hypersonic missiles.

In addition, it was emphasized that the cruiser is equipped with a naval version of the Pantsir air defense missile and gun system and the Ak-130 universal artillery system.

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PATRIOT

+4

26 May 2026 11: 42

From here we will threaten the world!
1. Roman070280
  
  +6
  
  26 May 2026 12: 26
  From here we will threaten the world!
  1. PATRIOT
    
    0
    
    26 May 2026 12: 52
    
    So what? A ship can sink, it's made of iron. And a submarine can sink, as Vladimir Vladimirovich said. But the Russian Armed Forces are still the world's second-largest army!
    1. anclevalico
      
      0
      
      10 June 2026 08: 22
      
      He not only said it, but also confirmed it in practice! The Black Sea Fleet won't let you lie.
2. beeper
  
  +4
  
  26 May 2026 13: 14
  
  Quote: PATRIOT
  Otsel we will threaten the world!
  
  Why then, "Putriot", "threaten the world" by turning into such a scarecrow for the world???
  Our Soviet motto was
  
  "Peace to the world!"
  
  And the whole world knew that behind this stood the entire enormous might of the army and economy of the Soviet Union; all the enemies feared and respected us—they knew that superpower Moscow, as they called us in the West—"Soviet Russia," would stop at nothing to truly ensure peace on the planet!
  And the whole world is already laughing at the current "red lines", i.e., as it turns out, empty (since they are not backed by the political will to respond with action if the designated "red lines" are violated), the Kremlin's Western-slavish hucksters - "their bourgeois" - and their "formidable" praise (like your "from here we will threaten the world!"). They will not make anyone fear and respect Russia, they will only harm - they will portray it as a "threat to peace", just like the Fashington "Goebbelsuchs" do, demonizing Russia and Russians in every possible way in the eyes of the "world community"!
  Think about the meanings before you stupidly "patriotize" and spout "loud phrases"!
  1. PATRIOT
    
    +1
    
    26 May 2026 13: 23
    
    A.S. Pushkin. "The Bronze Horseman":
    
    ...And I thought he:
    From here we will face a Swede
    Here the city will be laid
    To the evil arrogant neighbor.
    Nature here is destined to us
    To cut a window to Europe
    Hard to stand by the sea.
    Here on new waves to him
    All the flags will be visited by us,
    And we'll lock it out in the open
    1. beeper
      
      +1
      
      26 May 2026 13: 28
      
      Well, there you have it, a quasi-"revolutionary commissar" with a pretentious nickname and the avatar of our Soviet political officer, this "repost-response" (hiding behind the "classical" authority of A.S. Pushkin, allegorically comparing a worthless "geostrategist" with Peter the Great, yes - this is now a fashionable "trick" among the "protectors", since the former Kremlin idol Nicholas II turned out to be "not quite a successful example for analogies." ?!)" without a shred of your own thought, you confirm that you have a completely "slogan-based thinking", a stereotyped one, you stupidly "parrot" memorized texts and do not want to think with your own head in relation to the real political situation?!
    2. Gosh 65
      
      -1
      
      26 May 2026 13: 47
      
      Don't try to explain, he won't understand. Party heredity.
  2. Gosh 65
    
    0
    
    26 May 2026 13: 42
    
    Well, I raised everyone.
    Feeling better? Judging by the writing style, "Patriot" hit the nail on the head. I'm craving for "worldwide" recognition...
Sergey Latyshev

+5

26 May 2026 12: 13

I hope nothing happens to him, which sometimes happens after excessive bragging...
Yuliy

+4

26 May 2026 13: 05

What about countering naval drones? Shooting from the port, like now, what's the point of having ships then? You could mount hypersonic missiles on the ground and blast them away. And the Pantsir and AK-630 air defense missile systems can't always shoot down all the flying drones if there are a lot of them (I mean, one target, one channel at a time). The Pantsir is also running out of missiles... In my opinion, ships should be equipped with air defense and reconnaissance drones in decent numbers; that would provide long-range air defense against small targets.
Alexander

+8

26 May 2026 14: 03

"Unprecedented threat": US assesses modernization of Admiral Nakhimov cruiser

An unprecedented threat of another costly disgrace, similar to the loss of the cruiser Moskva.
Devushkin

+6

26 May 2026 14: 35

Restoring a 38-year-old Soviet cruiser is a good step, but it doesn't pose a significant threat (the cruiser Moskva will tell you that). An unprecedented threat would be the creation of thousands of surface and underwater drones in addition to dozens of new cruisers.
1. Dmitriev
  
  -1
  
  26 May 2026 16: 06
  
  For your money you can create .
Vladimir1155

-1

26 May 2026 14: 38

The AK-130 is a stupid, useless dud weighing a hundred tons. It would be better if there were more (60 units, maybe). They would have mounted AK-630s on the sides to fight UAVs and back-up aircraft.
1. Scharnhorst
  
  -2
  
  26 May 2026 17: 55
  
  The same can be said about the single-barrel 130mm AU, which, by the way, was shoved onto the cruiser during the modernization process, if I remember correctly... I would prefer a pair of modern 3-inch guns instead of both 130mm ones.
  1. Vladimir1155
    
    -2
    
    26 May 2026 20: 05
    
    I agree, three-inch guns are definitely better than AK-130s, but given the current situation, all the artillery on naval ships should be made exclusively AK-630s, and dozens of them are needed on a cruiser to repel massive drone attacks.
Avtandil

+1

26 May 2026 18: 50

The cruiser Moskva was recently sunk by "unknown assailants" in the Black Sea. Judging by the progress with drones, the Nakhimov won't be sailing for much longer either.
1. beeper
  
  +2
  
  26 May 2026 21: 57
  
  Quote: Avtandil
  The cruiser Moskva was recently sunk by "unknown assailants" in the Black Sea. Judging by the progress with drones, the Nakhimov won't be sailing for much longer either.
  
  Yes, the enemy will try to ambush such a huge, iconic "thing" even at the base's anchorage (there probably isn't even a mooring pier for such a colossus the size of an aircraft carrier)?!
  It's scary to think what would have happened to the Black Sea Mistral (at least one of the two "French" ships in the Black Sea would have been part of the "Syrian Express") and how many people would have died with it. The disgrace would have been even greater than with the Moskva (probably far more Russian naval commanders would have been forced to retire and lose their epaulets than with the sinking of the old flagship cruiser? The question is rhetorical, sarcastically. If Mumu wasn't "retired" even after the colossal failure at Kursk, then what can we say?)?!
  1. Andrey Samuylik
    
    +2
    
    3 June 2026 12: 54
    
    Mumu is Shoigu's convenient dummy, and that one is Vova Putin's friend. Their main concern is covering their own asses. Their survival is more important than the country's.
The comment was deleted.
Devushkin

+3

27 May 2026 14: 58

Quote: Kirill Dmitriev
For your money you can create

It's possible to create something with state money (the people's money). It's not all about Tsalikov, Ivanov, and other respected figures from the Ministry of Defense. Some money could be set aside for drones. For example, the Ukrainian MAGURA V5 drone costs around $400,000, or about 29 million rubles (that's the upper limit). Ruslan Tsalikov alone had his property seized worth 5.5 billion rubles, the equivalent of 190 surface drones. How many Tsalikovs are still waiting for the opportunity to return their hard-earned gains to the state? So purchasing 1000 maritime drones (if we make them) isn't such an impossible task. The money is there; we just need to steal less.
savage3000

0

2 June 2026 16: 26

The Westerners are simply writing nonsense. Threats - 0.

It's just one ship. That's all. 20 22350 would be a threat.

Or at least 4 - 1144, not one.
anclevalico

+1

5 June 2026 08: 25

I'm having trouble deciding whether this is a "Tirpitz" or a "Bismarck"?