DEBKAfile reports: Moskva missile carrier takes part in big Russian navy maneuver starting in Mediterranean Tuesday

January 14, 2008, 11:21 PM (GMT+02:00)

Russia has drawn eleven warships from its Black Sea and Atlantic Northwest fleets for a joint war game in the Mediterranean to underline its drive for a naval presence in all the world’s seas and oceans. They will rendezvous off Malta Tuesday, Jan. 15. The flagship Moskva is on its way from Sevastopol.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report: Air carrier Admiral Kutznetsov is on current missions in the Mediterranean, escorted by four ships, including the large anti-submarine Admiral Levchenko and the command and supply ship Sergei Osipov . On its decks are 47 Su-33 fighter-bombers and 10 helicopters.

Dmitry Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, said Friday, Jan. 11: “Russia must restore its sea power.â€