Russia Defence Ministry reinforces its naval task force in Mediterranean

A large group of the Russian Navy ships has been included in the country’s naval task force in the Mediterranean.

"The Korolev large landing ship of the Baltic Fleet has arrived in the designated mission area and joined the permanent task force of the Russian Navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea," Baltic Fleet spokesman Captain 2nd Rank Vladimir Matveyev told TASS on Wednesday. He said that the Korolev ship within the framework of the planned rotation of the permanent task force troops will replace the Alexander Shabalin large landing ship, which has been on duty since November 2014. The Korolev ship carries an anti-terror Marine group of the Baltic Fleet.

Also, four ships of the Black Sea Fleet have been sent to the Mediterranean to fulfil tasks within the Russian Navy’s permanent task force, a military-diplomatic source in Moscow told TASS on Wednesday: "The Black Sea Fleet ships - the Navy flagship - the Moskva cruiser, the Alexander Shabalin and Alexander Ostrakovsky large landing ships and the Ivan Bubnov tanker have departed for the Mediterranean.".