You're reading: Second Mistral ship to be built for Russia may differ from first one

MOSCOW - The second of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to be built for Russia in France under a current contract may be different from the first vessel functionally, a military diplomatic source said on Nov. 12. 

 While the first ship, Vladivostok, would be a helicopter carrier and a floating dock, there is a proposal for the second one, Sevastopol, to be a carrier of Russian-made tank landing boats of the Dyugon or the Serna class, the source told Interfax-AVN.

Vladivostok was scheduled to be handed over to Russia in autumn 2014 and Sevastopol in autumn 2015, but the European Union and U.S. Ukraine-related sanctions have blocked the contract.

Though the sanctions have not been meant to affect deals predating the Ukraine crisis, some of the NATO member countries, mainly the United States, Britain, Germany and Poland, are pressing France not to deliver the Mistrals to Russia.