Russia has no plans to build any new aircraft carriers in the near future, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has said.

“No, there are no such plans,” he commented in response to remarks made by an unnamed Defence Ministry source.

According to the unnamed source, Russia would start the construction of a new series of aircraft carriers before 2020.

The source said that the Russian Navy needed four aircraft carriers to ensure the navy’s effective operation and that the ministry will not abandon the idea of building such warships.

Russia currently has only one aircraft carrier compared to the former Soviet Union, which had five aircraft carriers.