KALININGRAD. July 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The cargo ship Alaed carrying Mi-25 attack helicopters, which have undergone maintenance in Russia and are supposed to be delivered to Syria, might join a unit of Russian Baltic Fleet vessels heading for the Mediterranean, a former Baltic Fleet admiral told Interfax on condition of anonymity.
"The corvettes Yaroslav Mudry and Neustrashimy and the SBS-921 rescue towboat escorting them left Baltiisk for the Mediterranean just yesterday. They could escort the Alaed toward the point of its destination, that is, one of Syrian ports, for instance, Tartus," he said.
The admiral suggested that the naval ships could adjust their speed to meet the Alaed in the North Sea beyond the Danish Straits, after which all of them would head for the Mediterranean at a speed that the cargo ship could sustain.
International maritime law fully entitles Russian warships to guard a vessel flying a Russian flag, even if its owner is a foreign company. In this situation, other countries will not obstruct such escort, especially considering that there is no official blockade of Syria so far, he said.
It was reported earlier that a unit of Baltic Fleet ships left Baltiisk for the North Atlantic on July 12, where it is supposed to join a unit of Northern Fleet vessels on July 16 and start an oceanic cruise mission as part of an inter-fleet unit under joint command.
The latest reports said the Alaed, with the helicopters onboard, was heading from Murmansk to St. Petersburg and then could possibly go to the Far East.