MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax-AVN) - The large landing ship Caesar Kunikov of the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet (BSF) has arrived at the Italian port of Messina, BSF spokesman 1st rank Captain Vyacheslav Trukhachyov told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"Today the ship berthed at the port of Messina. While in Sicily, the crew will attend festivities commemorating the Russian historical and cultural figures, as well as sailors of the Russian Imperial Navy who were involved in the Messina civilian rescue and clean-up operations in the aftermath of an earthquake in 1908," Trukhachyov said.
The festivities will be held "both in Messina proper and in the nearby town of Taormina," the spokesman said.
The Caesar Kunikov ship will stay at the Italian port until June 11.
"Today the journey commander, 1st rank Captain Alexei Komarov, who is the commander of the brigade of BSF landing ships, and the ship's officers took part in the celebration the Italian Navy Day at the naval base in Messina and paid protocol visits to the province's authorities and the city mayor," Trukhachyov said.