Russia to Beef Up Black Sea Fleet
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Russia plans to allocate more than 86 billion rubles (2.4 billion US dollars) to strengthen its Black Sea fleet by 2020, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.
"New air defense and marine units will be formed at our fleet bases this year. New submarines will be supplied to the Black Sea fleet this year alongside next-generation surface ships," Shoigu told a teleconference.
He said the fleet had always been supplied appropriately, but adjustment to its development program was needed "due to the recent incorporation of Crimea and Sevastopol," the Interfax news agency reported.
The previous version of development for the Sevastopol-based fleet was made in 2008.
So far, 48 facilities have already entered into service in three locations in the southern Krasnodar region, which are also bases of the fleet, Shoigu said.
Sevastopol, along with Republic of Crimea, became part of Russia following a March referendum, which is not recognized by the West and Ukraine.
Moscow became nervous recently due to increased NATO naval presence in the Black Sea amid the rising tensions in Ukraine. In April, the US destroyer Donald Cook, missile frigate Taylor, and French reconnaissance ship Dupuy de Lome entered the sea.
Russia accused the United States of violating the Montreux Convention, which restricts the number of vessels from non-Black Sea countries operating in the area and sets a time limit of 21 days for each stay.
