MOSCOW (Sputnik) — France's La Fayette frigate headed to the western Black Sea is en route to the Bulgarian port of Varna and will leave the regional waters early next month, a military and diplomatic source told Sputnik on Friday.
"The La Fayette frigate, which entered the Black Sea earlier, is headed to Varna. Its stay in the Black Sea will last until early April," the source said.
16 March 2017, 17:47 GMT
The source clarified that the frigate's visit is not connected to the arrival of NATO's mine warfare vessels in Odessa, Ukraine.
The La Fayette-class frigate is capable of carrying air defense missiles and accommodating Panther as well as heavy range helicopters.
A military source told Sputnik earlier in the day that the Russian Black Sea Fleet was tracking the frigate's movement.
