On December 12, the first power compartment of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov caught fire. The fire was caused by sparks from welding operations spilling leaking fuel into the cabin. The fire fighting continued all day caused two people were killed and dozens injured.
On December 19, Alexei Rachmanov, President of Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation, told the media that the fire did not cause serious damage to the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov.
"Some media reports that the damage to Admiral Kuznetsov caused by the fire was equivalent to the cost of building the carrier itself are totally untrue." Rachmanov said.
Rachmanov said the carrier had not been seriously damaged and that the equipment in the fire room had been removed during the overhaul.The factory plans to replace the old with new and the new equipment has been shipped to the shipyard." Therefore, the fire will not cause a significant increase in the cost of aircraft carrier maintenance, nor will it have a serious impact on the maintenance schedule," he said.
