A somewhat entertaining dispute has erupted between the American website The National Interest and the Russian press corps.

The National Interest has made a list of the 5 Worst Aircraft Carriers Ever Put to Sea, and the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov is on that list. That does not go over well in Russia.

For example Lenta.ru has collected statements from a range of Russian military experts who disregard the American website as a propaganda tool in an anti-Russian campaign.

The Russian experts also complain that the American journal includes Admiral Kuznetsov in a list of “aircraft carriers” because actually it is an “aircraft-carrying missile cruiser”. Those things are apparently not comparable at all.

One of the Russian experts explains that Admiral Kuznetsov held up very well during the operations in Syria (despite losing two aircraft), and another claims that the Russian ship brings more strategic weight to the battlefield than a modern American carrier which is little more than a floating airport.

Ah, well…

The other four ships on the list are the British HMS Eagle from 1924, the French Bearn from 1927, the Japanese HIJMS Kaga from 1928, and the American USS Ranger from 1934.

The Russian media seems convinced that the list is prioritized so Admiral Kuznetsov is named the worst aircraft carrier ever. As far as I can tell, it is just in chronological order.