From RIA Novosti:  A proposed Russian permanent naval task force in the Mediterranean Sea may consist of up to 10 combat and auxiliary ships, a high-ranking military source said.

“A command headquarters responsible for the deployment of a permanent naval task force must be set up at the Black Sea Fleet,” the source told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

A source in the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces confirmed on Thursday that the deployment of Russian warships in the Mediterranean had been a subject of planning for some time.

“It could be a task force consisting of warships from three Russian fleets, similar to the one that has been carrying out exercises in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, near the Syrian coast, for the last six months,” the source said.  (photo: AP)

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