“Of course, the issue of hosting a ship like Mistral helicopter carrier in Sevastopol was being resolved. We were preparing for it. The first [ship] was supposed to go to Vladivistok, the second one – to Sevastopol. We were working there and there. It [ship] has deep immersion. We were working on fixing the dock and deepening the bed in Kurinnaya Bay, in particular,” Adm. Kasatonov said.
The delivery of two Mistral-class assault ships to Russia was agreed under a $1.5 billion deal between Russian state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport and French shipbuilder DCNS, signed in 2011.
France was expected to deliver the Vladivostok, the first of the two ships, by November 14, 2014. However, on November 25, 2014, French President Francois Hollande stated that the shipment would be suspended due to alleged interference by Moscow in the Ukrainian crisis.
