Sevastopol - Russia's Black Sea Fleet will continue to maintain its presence in the Mediterranean for the summer training period, its commander said.
“For more than six months already, ships of the fleet have been carrying out tasks in the Mediterranean on the rotating basis, and this will remain a priority task in the period of training that has begun,” fleet spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachyov quoted fleet commander Vice Adm. Alexander Vitko as saying.
The fleet’s immediate tasks include training the crew of missile cruiser Moskva for a voyage to the Atlantic, training for a Russian-Ukrainian naval exercise, Peace Fairway 2013, and training crews for ships that are under construction for the fleet.
“In August, the Black Sea Fleet is to represent the Russian Federation in the activation of the Black Sea Naval Force, BLACKSEAFOR. It is to finish the summer period of training by participating in IONIEX 2013, an annual Russian-Italian naval exercise,” Vitko said.
