Russian Navy’s spokesman denies one of two Mistral ships to be based in Crimea

The Russian Navy denies one of the two helicopter carriers of the Mistral class, being built for Russian in France, The Sevastopol, will be based in the same-name harbour in Crimea on the Black Sea.

Earlier, some mass media said that one of the two amphibious assault ships will enter duty as the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet by 2015. A pier was reportedly being equipped for it.
“The Navy’s Command has made no changes to its original plans for the Mistral ships. Infrastructures for them are being built in Vladivostok. No amendments have been made,” the Navy’s spokesman told the media on Friday.
According to the official there were certain plans for upgrading the composition of the Black Sea Fleet in the near future. Six submarines of project 636.6 and frigates of project 11356 would join the fleet soon.
“Mistral class ships are absent from these plans,” the spokesman said.