A Russian nuclear battle cruiser is being rushed back to port because it could explode at any moment, the head of Russia's naval fleet said today.

Peter the Great has been recalled from exercises in the Barents Sea after a tour of the ship last Wednesday revealed serious problems, the Interfax news agency reported.

Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, the head of Russia's Navy, told reporters in Moscow: "The ship is in such a state that it could explode at any moment.

"The ship's condition is fine in those places where admirals walk, but where they don't go everything is in such a state that it could explode at any moment.

"This includes the upkeep of the nuclear reactor."

"Such attitudes of commanders toward their ships leads to a degradation of the fleet," he added.

He did not specify which naval port the battle cruiser was heading to, although it is normally based near the northern port of Murmansk.

Admiral Kuroyedov said yesterday that said the "crew's performance [was] below standard" after observing Peter the Great's latest manoeuvres, according to an unnamed source quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The business newspaper Kommersant reported today that Admiral Kuroyedov’s decision to declare Peter the Great unfit for service could stem from his personal conflict with retired Admiral Igor Kasatonov, who is the uncle of the cruiser’s captain, Rear Admiral Vladimir Kasatonov.

Admiral Kuroyedov could be also aiming at the Northern Fleet’s former head, Admiral Gennady Suchkov, who had been temporarily relieved of his duties pending the official investigation into his role into the sinking of a decommissioned nuclear feet submarine in August.

The Russian media has criticised Admiral Kuroyedov over that sinking and other accidents in the underfunded Russian Navy.

The problems with Peter the Great will come as further confirmation of the difficulties Russia is having maintaining its Cold War nuclear fleet.

During exercises in the Barents Sea in August 2000, the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank with the loss of 118 lives after two onboard explosions.

The submarine was raised the following year so that investigators could piece together what had caused the catastrophic failure.

Large sections of the submarine were subsequently destroyed after it was towed into dock, however, to protect Russian military secrets