Russia denies news that 'Russian sailors blockaded Mistral ship'

A senior source in the Russian Navy on December 16 denied information that Russian sailors were present at the port of San Nazaire and blocked attempts to approach the French helicopter landing support ship Mistral.

Mistral helicopter carrier.

According to RIA Novosti, a source said that Russian sailors in Saint-Nazaire, including marines, have approached the Mistral helicopter landing support ship named Vladivostok, which was newly built by France on Russia's order.

“The ship has not yet been handed over to Russia. The crew did not stay on the Mistral but gathered on the Smolny (the ship that brought Russian sailors to France to learn how to operate the Mistral),” RIA Novosti quoted the source as saying, while affirming: “The access control system is still managed by the shipyard in Saint Nazaire. Therefore, all the information given earlier is fabricated.”

The Mistral helicopter carrier, named Vladivostok by Russia, completed construction and testing on November 14, but its transfer to Russia has not yet been carried out according to the contract.

It is known that the Russian sailors have been in France since September and plan to depart for Russia immediately after the ship is handed over.

The 1.2 billion euro contract for the construction of two helicopter landing support ships for the Russian Navy was signed by Moscow and Paris in June 2011.

As planned, the first ship named Vladivostok will be put into service in the Russian Navy in 2014, the second ship Sevastopol in 2015.

However, French President Francois Hollande has repeatedly affirmed that Paris has temporarily suspended the transfer of Vladivostok to Russia due to the situation in Ukraine.

According to Tien Phong