Sharlin,, not all carriers are offensive. Soviet Kiev class carriers were essentially bastion defence platforms, their Yak38 meant to keep MPA aircraft away, their Helis meant to hunt for NATO SSN tracking soviet SSBN and their missiles, like the GZ guns, meant to allow them to defend themselves against surface threats.
The KM (as seen by Reader) main role was to keep the Baltic and North Sea LOC open.
The Kiev class were not true carriers. They were sea control ships, what the Soviets called aviation cruisers. This is generally ignored in that "if it has planes it is a carrier" seems to be the mindset. Interestingly the U.S. LHA and LHD, all of which have more pure aircraft handling potential than the Kievs are virtually never called carriers.
The GZ, had she been completed, would have been used as an offensive platform. Keep in mind that this was a navy that sent out a 45,000 ton battleship to act as a commerce raider.