MURMANSK, May 7 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov has joined the permanent Russian naval task force in the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Fleet spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Vadim Serga said.
The Vice Admiral Kulakov will house the command staff of the task force, which comprises warships and auxiliary vessels from Russia’s Northern, Black Sea and Baltic fleets.
“The task force’s command was previously based on board the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser and the Admiral Levchenko destroyer, which have already fulfilled their objectives as part of the task force,” Serga said.
Russia formed a permanent naval task force in the Mediterranean last year to defend its interests in the region.
The task force currently consists of about a dozen of warships and auxiliary vessels and operates under a special offshore maritime zone operational command.
The Vice Admiral Kulakov set sail from the Northern Fleet’s main base in Severomorsk on April 15 and traveled over 4,000 nautical miles to join the task force.
