Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Had No Critical Damage in Recent Fire - Ship Manufacturer

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Russia's aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov sustained no critical damage in a recent fire, the incident will not affect the timing of the repairs, Alexey Rakhmanov, the president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, said Thursday.

"The ship had no critical damage, as the equipment in the compartment where the fire broke out had already been uninstalled as part of the overhaul," Rakhmanov said, adding that the equipment was to be replaced with the new version.

The president of the company refuted the reports of some media that the damage sustained as the result of the fire would cost as much to fix as the ship itself.

"As a result, this will not have a significant impact on the budget and timing of the repairs of the ship," Rakhmanov said.

A fire broke out on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier in Murmansk last week, killing one soldier and injuring 10 more. The incident happened during welding works near the ship's first energy compartment.