Pyotr Velikiy as Russia's operational status ship

Nakhimov's eventual return mattered partly because it would allow Pyotr Velikiy to enter its own refit without leaving Russia with no operational Kirov-class cruiser. Unlike her laid-up sisters, Pyotr Velikiy conducted global deployments, supported anti-piracy missions, and operated as a more reliable Russian prestige platform than the carrier Kuznetsov. During a 2014 Channel transit, HMS Dragon, one of only six Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers, was assigned to shadow the group. The assignment repeated the force-diversion effect in peacetime readiness terms. When only a fraction of six destroyers could be ready at once, one escort assigned to observation represented a substantial share of immediately available force.