MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian Defense Ministry has cancelled its previous order for two warships to head to Eastern Mediterranean, the Navy said Thursday.
"Black Sea Fleet's small missile ship Ivanovets and missile boat Shtil were ordered earlier to depart to the Eastern Mediterranean on Sept. 25. This morning, the mission was cancelled," Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Navy as saying.
According to the source, the two warships now are assigned a task to prepare for the security mission during the upcoming 22nd Winter Olympics which will kick off in the Black Sea city of Sochi next February.
The Navy explained its latest decision by low efficiency of small ships' deployment off Syrian shores in the current situation there as well as by bad weather conditions in fall and winter, which may jeopardize their sail.
Up till now, the Russian permanent naval group in that region consists of large landing ships Peresvet, Admiral Nevelski, Minsk, Novocherkassk and Alexander Shabalin, anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev, guard ship Neustrashimyi and reconnaissance ship Priazovye.
Three more ships from Pacific Fleet are currently heading to the Bay of Aden with possible redeployment to the Mediterranean later.