Russian Black Sea Fleet unit's landing ships visit Novorossiysk, others on standby in Aegean Sea
MOSCOW. Dec 10 (Interfax-AVN) - The large landing ships Novocherkassk and Saratov, which had stayed in the eastern Mediterranean with a Russian Black Sea Fleet unit, came to Novorossiysk on Monday. The other ships are on standby in the Aegean Sea, a source at the Russian General Staff told Interfax-AVN on Monday.
The Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that the missile carrying cruiser Moskva and the large landing ships Novocherkassk and Saratov were returning to base from the Mediterranean Sea for the dismissal of conscripts, whose period of military duty was over.
"The large landing ships Novocherkassk and Saratov passed through the straits on Sunday and arrived in Novorossiysk on Monday morning. After a brief stay, they will return to their base, Sevastopol," the source said.
The missile carrying cruiser Moskva, the patrol ship Smetlivy, the sea tanker Ivan Bubnov and the sea tugboat MB-304 are on standby in the rough waters of the Aegean Sea until further notice from the General Staff.
A source at the Russian General Staff told Interfax-AVN earlier that the Novocherkassk and Saratov had visited the Russian logistic base in Tartous, Syria, during their mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Black Sea Fleet unit was going to the Indian Ocean for patrolling waters offshore Somalia. The unit was due to meet with Pacific Fleet ships in early December for joint provision of safe civilian shipping. It had planned to pass through the Suez Canal on November 27.
But the unit was ordered on November 23 to stay in the eastern Mediterranean for possible evacuation of Russian citizens in case of an escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The unit headed for Sevastopol later on but was ordered to linger in the Aegean Sea until further notice because of the exacerbated regional situation.