Claims of Egypt Selling Mistral Ships to Russia 'Nonsense' - Russian MoD

The Russian Defense Ministry denied on Friday claims by the Polish defense minister alleging the sale of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers by Egypt to Russia for $1, calling them 'nonsense.'

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Egyptian embassy in Moscow refuted the claims earlier in the day.

"Statements by Antoni Macierewicz about the sale of Mistral-class helicopter carriers by Egypt to Russia are nonsense," ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.

"Macierewicz regularly makes statements of this kind to promote his image," Konashenkov stressed.

In August 2015, Paris and Moscow formally terminated the 1.2-billion-euro (some $1.3 billion at current exchange rates) deal on the construction and delivery of two Mistral-class warships. Shortly after, French President Francois Hollande confirmed that a deal had been reached with Egypt on the delivery of two Mistrals to the Arab country.

On Tuesday, Anatoly Punchuk, deputy director of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said that Egypt had appealed to Russia to supply Ka-52 helicopters (NATO reporting name: Hokum B) for the Mistrals.