Pyotr Velikiy is the fourth Project 1144 Orlan battlecruiser of the Russian Navy. It was initially named Yuri Andropov after the former General Secretary of the Communist Party Yuri Andropov, but the name was changed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Russian designation for the type is "heavy nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser", but Western defense commentators have resurrected the term "battlecruiser" to describe them, as they are the largest surface combatant warships in the world. Pyotr Velikiy has been the flagship of the Northern Fleet since it entered service.