SEVASTOPOL. April 8 (Interfax-AVN) - A squadron of the Russian Black Sea Fleet left their base in Sevastopol on Monday and sailed for the Indian Ocean, a fleet spokesman told Interfax.
"The squadron is led by the Black Sea Fleet's flagship, the missile cruiser Moskva. It also comprises the patrol boats Pytlivy and Smetlivy, and the large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov," the officer said.
On April 6, the tanker Shakhtyor left Sevastopol, and will accompany the warships.
Following a brief stopover off Sevastopol, the ships will sail for the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.
"By April 11, the ships will have passed through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles and gather in the Mediterranean Sea," he said. Having passed through the Suez Canal, they will meet with the Pacific Fleet squadron in the Indian Ocean off Socotra Island.
On April 6, Pacific Fleet warships left Vladivostok and anchored in the roadstead. The squadron comprises the cruisers Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Panteleyev, and the tanker Vladimir Kolechitsky.
The warships are sailing for the Indian Ocean to take part in Russian-Indian naval exercises in May.