Why a Kiev-class ship would be a fleet carrier in the Second World War

How would a mechanically sound Kiev-class ship function as a Second World War escort carrier?

It would actually be a fleet carrier, with ample aircraft capacity and an overwhelming extra advantage if its missiles still worked.

A Kiev-class ship is far too large to count as an escort carrier in a Second World War setting and would instead be treated as a fleet carrier. Its deck area could support a broad wartime air group, with a catapult offering more efficient simultaneous launch and recovery if one were fitted. If its missile battery also remained functional, the ship could attack battleships without relying entirely on aircraft. Weapons such as Shipwreck deliver a type of explosive impact that period armor was never designed to defeat.