KYIV. March 25 (Interfax) - The large amphibious landing ship Kostiantyn Olshansky of the Ukrainian Navy, dispatched to Libya to evacuate Ukrainians, has passed the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits in the Black Sea and is heading across the Aegean Sea.
The ship is expected to arrive at the evacuation area in the central Mediterranean on schedule, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
The Kostiantyn Olshanskiy departed from Sevastopol early on March 23 on a humanitarian mission to evacuate Ukrainian from Libya. It can take up to 500 people aboard.
About 20 Ukrainian citizens have volunteered to leave Libya, according to Ukrainian diplomats. The crew will be ready to evacuate other foreign nationals, as well.
They ship will remain in the Libyan territorial waters and sea ports from March 27 to April 19. It has a 107-member crew and carries two air defense artillery systems and two missile systems.