The Russian Pacific Fleet anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Tributs is heading to the Gulf of Aden to join an international anti-piracy mission there, the Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman said.
The warship, accompanied by the Pechenega tank ship and a rescue tug, left its home port of Vladivostok at about 11:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
The Admiral Tributs, which has two helicopters on board, will replace another Udaloy class destroyer, the Admiral Panteleyev, on the mission off the Horn of Africa.
Russian warships have escorted a total of 120 commercial ships through pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast since 2008, when Russia joined the international anti-piracy mission.
Task forces from the Russian Pacific Fleet, usually led by Udaloy class destroyers, operate in the area on a rotating basis.
The Admiral Tributs previously took part in the mission in 2009.
