page_title: List of cruisers of the Russian Navy
section_title: Heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers (TAKR)
hierarchical_section_title: List of cruisers of the Russian Navy / Cruisers of the Soviet and modern Russian Navy / Heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers (TAKR)
caption_attribution_description: An aerial port beam view of the Soviet Kiev class aircraft carrier Minsk underway.
context_page_description: Until 1892, there was no standardized name for ships of the cruiser type. They were classified as armoured frigates, armoured corvettes and even screw corvettes. The "Cruiser" \ «крейсер» designation appeared in 1878, but only for auxiliary non-protected ships. Starting in 1892 and up to 1907, all of these ships were divided between 1st rank cruisers and 2nd rank cruisers, although this division did not coincide with the delineation between armoured cruisers & protected cruisers. The designation "auxiliary cruiser" officially appeared in 1904. According to the new classification table of 1907, all cruisers, except auxiliary ships, were divided between "armoured cruisers" and "cruisers". During the first decades of the Soviet Navy the only one "cruiser" designation existed, but in 1949 cruisers were divided between "light cruisers", "heavy cruisers" and "training cruisers". Later "missile cruisers", "anti-submarine cruisers", "aircraft-carrying cruisers", "heavy nuclear missile cruisers" appeared.
context_section_description: Tyazhelyi avianesushchii kreiser \ «тяжёлый авианесущий крейсер» (ТАКР). Ships were purposed to air cover of patrol regions of Soviet ballistic missile submarines (to destroy opponent's antisubmarine helicopters and airplanes), as well as searching and destroying opponent's guided missile & multi-purpose submarines and (3rd purpose) to striking the opponent's above-water ships by guided missiles, consisting of ships' squadrons and cooperating with other fleets' forces. Despite the superficial resemblance, they were not aircraft carriers in that sense, in which this term is applicable to American and British carriers. They were not intended to be the main shock force of the Navy, but only a part of own strategic submarines' defense system (first three units). Fourth ship really became a large training base for fifth, her aircraft (Yak-141) was not completed and she remained with helicopters only, i.e. as antisubmarine cruiser. Fifth unit (and uncompleted sixth) were designed as ships of transitional type, and only seventh, non-completed nuclear Ulyanovsk, although classified officially to cruisers, could become a first Russian relatively full aircraft carrier.
  Kiev (Project 1143) class (3 units). Classified originally as Antisubmarine Aircraft-Carrying Cruisers, since 1977 (most part of their career) – to Heavy Aircraft-carrying Cruisers, since 1991 (after decommissioning of their Yak-38 aircraft) — to Heavy Helicopter-carrying Cruisers.
  Kiev \ «Киев» (1972) - Decommissioned 1993, sold for BU to China 2000, resold and became a part of military theme park in Tianjin (2003)
  Minsk \ «Минск» (1975) - Decommissioned 1993, sold for BU to South Korea, resold and became a part of military theme park in Shenzhen (2003)
  Novorossiysk (1978) (Project 1143.3) \ «Новороссийск» - Laid up 1991, decommissioned 1993, sold for BU 1994 to South Korea
  Baku \ «Баку» (1982) (Project 1143.4) - Renamed Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov \ «Адмирал Флота Советского Союза Горшков» (non-officially Admiral Gorshkov, unceremoniously — Gorshok) 1991, burnt 1993 & 1994, laid up 1996, sold to India and renamed INS Vikramaditya 2004
  Kuznetsov (Project 1143.5) class (2 units)
  Tbilisi \ «Тбилиси» (ex-Leonid Brezhnev \ «Леонид Брежнев», ex-Riga \ «Рига» - renamed on slip) (1985) - Renamed Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov \ «Адмирал Флота Советского Союза Кузнецов» (non-officially Admiral Kuznetsov, unceremoniously — Kuzya) 1990, operated at Mediterranean Sea 1995–1996
  Riga \ «Рига» (1988) - Renamed Varyag \ «Варяг» 1990, laid up 1992, being incomplete sold by Ukraine to People's Liberation Army Navy, towed to China 2002, commissioned as Liaoning 2012.
  Ulyanovsk \ «Ульяновск» (Project 1143.7) - Laid down 1988, not completed and BU 1992
caption: Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Minsk. 1983
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