Pyotr Velikiy - the largest nuclear cruiser in the world

Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) is a heavy nuclear-powered cruiser, the flagship of the Northern Fleet of Russia. The fourth ship of the 1144 Orlan project (NATO: Kirov-class battlecruiser). The biggest battlecruiser in the world with a displacement of 26 000 tons, second only to aircraft carriers. At the beginning of its construction in the 1980s, the ship was named Kuibyshev, and then Yuri Andropov. By the time it started service, it was given the name Pyotr Velikiy and carries it to this day. The cruiser’s main objective is fighting the enemy ship groups, first and foremost the aircraft carriers, as well as protecting the sea from attacks. For that purpose, it is equipped with anti-ship supersonic missiles and a wide range of defensive measures against underwater, surface and airborne threats.