Russian warships will be permanently stationed in the Mediterranean Sea – Vladimir Putin
Russian Navy ships should be permanently stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, RF President and Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin said while on his visit to the Armed Forces Central Command Centre. According to him, special conditions should be ensured for the continued presence of Russian warships in this region.
“ As you know, our ships were stationed in that area permanently in the past. This is a strategically important region, where we have interests related to the national security of the Russian Federation. Therefore, we are talking about creating the conditions for the continued presence of Russian warships in the Mediterranean today,” the President said.
According to Chief of the General Staff, Army General Valery Gerasimov, a naval task force began fulfilling the tasks in the Mediterranean Sea as of June 1. Currently, it comprises 16 surface combatants and three ship-based helicopters. In the future, the composition of the task force will vary depending on the situation. The task force headquarters is deployed on the Admiral Panteleyev large anti-submarine destroyer. Being under operational command of 1st Rank Captain Yury Zemsky, the task force reports to the Black Sea fleet commander.
