"No one has assessed anything so far, because we are in no hurry of slamming the door. There are some legal aspects, however, and the position and diplomacy that was made public also exists. No active actions from our side have been taken yet," Oleg Bochkarev said in an interview with RIA Novosti, answering a question on whether a preliminary assessment of damage due to the non-delivery of the Mistral-type carrier, the Vladivostok, is being conducted in commercial courts.
He explained that the Vladivostok was supposed to be delivered to Russia by France within the framework of the state defense order by the end of 2014.
France was expected to deliver the first of the two helicopter carriers, the Vladivostok, by November 14, 2014. However, on November 25, French President Francois Hollande stated that the shipment would be suspended due to the alleged meddling of Moscow in the Ukrainian crisis.
In January, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the Russian side did not rule out the possibility of filing a suit against France within six months over its failure to deliver the Vladivostok ship, as the contract conditions remain unfulfilled.
