[10] After the floating drydock PD-50 sank in Kola Bay (Murmansk) in an accident that killed one worker in October 2018, the ship was towed to Sevmorput Yard No 35.

[19] Admiral Kuznetsov's designation as an aircraft-carrying cruiser is important under the Montreux Convention, as it allows the ship to transit the Turkish Straits.

Turkey allowed Admiral Kuznetsov to transit the Straits, and no signatory to the Montreux Convention ever issued a formal protest of her classification as an aircraft-carrying cruiser.

The deployment was to allow the carrier, which was accompanied by a frigate, destroyer and oiler, to adapt to the Mediterranean climate and to perform continuous flight operations until 21:00 each day, as the Barents Sea only receives about one hour of sunlight during that time of year.

[28] On 27 September 2006, it was announced that Admiral Kuznetsov would return to service in the Northern Fleet by the year's end, following another modernization to correct some technical issues.

Admiral Vladimir Masorin, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, also stated that Su-33 fighters assigned to her would return after undergoing their own maintenance and refits.

[23] On 11 December 2007, Admiral Kuznetsov passed by Norwegian oil platforms in the North Sea, 60 nautical miles (110 km) outside Bergen, Norway.

[citation needed] On 16 February 2009, she was involved in a large oil spill, along with other Russian naval vessels, while refuelling off the south coast of Ireland.

[32] On 2 March 2009, Admiral Kuznetsov returned to Severomorsk, and in September 2010, she left dry dock after scheduled repairs and preparations for a training mission in the Barents Sea, later that month.

The Russian Main Navy Staff announced that Admiral Kuznetsov would begin a deployment to the Atlantic and Mediterranean in December 2011.

[37] On 12 December 2011, Admiral Kuznetsov and her escorts, were spotted northeast of Orkney off the coast of northern Scotland, the first such time she had deployed near the UK.

Admiral Kuznetsov then sailed around the top of Scotland and into the Atlantic past western Ireland, where she conducted flight operations with her Sukhoi Su-33 'Flanker' jets and Kamov Ka-27 helicopters in international airspace.

[42] On 1 January 2014, Admiral Kuznetsov celebrated New Year's Day while at anchor in international waters of the Moray Firth off northeast Scotland.

The anchorage allowed replenishment of ship's supplies and respite for the crew from stormy weather off the southwest coast of Norway.

[44] In May 2014, the ship and her task group: the Kirov-class nuclear-powered cruiser Petr Velikiy; tankers Sergey Osipov, Kama and Dubna; the ocean-going tug Altay and the Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk (part of the Black Sea Fleet), passed the UK while sailing for home.

[45] Despite financial and technical problems, resulting in limited operations for the ship,[46] it was expected that Admiral Kuznetsov would remain in active service until at least 2030.

[47] Admiral Kuznetsov set sail on 15 October 2016 from Severomorsk for the Mediterranean, accompanied by seven other vessels of the Russian Navy including the nuclear-powered battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy and two Udaloy-class destroyers.

[55] In the largest Russian military deployment since the Cold War, the carrier battle group sailed through the English Channel on 21 October.

The carrier commander could have diverted the aircraft to land at a nearby airbase, but hesitated in the hope that the arresting gear would be repaired in time.

[60] On 15 November 2016—as part of a large-scale engagement—Admiral Kuznetsov launched Su-33 strikes against the positions of terrorist groups Islamic State and Al-Nusra in the provinces of Idlib and Homs in Syria.

[61] The Russian Defence Ministry later reported that at least 30 militants had been killed as a result of those strikes, including three field commanders, among them Abul Baha al-Asfari, leader of Al-Nusra reserve forces in the provinces of Homs and Aleppo.

[64] In early January 2017, it was announced that Admiral Kuznetsov and her battlegroup would be ceasing operations in Syria and returning to Russia as part of a scaling back of Russian involvement in the conflict.

[68][69] On 20 January, Admiral Kuznetsov was sighted passing west through the Strait of Gibraltar and six days later, she was escorted back along the English Channel by three Eurofighter Typhoons of the Royal Air Force and the Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans.

[78] That same month, it was also announced that two graving docks in Murmansk would be merged and enlarged to accommodate the ship, the work taking a year and a half.

[80] In June 2021, Vladimir Korolev, Vice President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation announced that the overhaul and upgrade of Admiral Kuznetsov was expected to be completed by the first half of 2023.

[81] The avionics, flight deck with the ski jump, electric equipment, and the power plant were expected to be replaced as part of this process.

[82] In November 2021 it was reported that "bad weather" had caused significant delays to repair work which might push back the completion of the refit by more than one year.

[85] On 15 August 2022, the head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation confirmed that Admiral Kuznetsov would be handed over to the Russian Navy in the first quarter of 2024, and that the ship is expected to remain in service for at least another 25 years.

[87] The aircraft carrier was removed from the drydock on 21 February 2023, although it was initially reported that the operation had been suspended due to heavy fog.