A French Navy’s patrol ship D’Estienne d’Orves-class corvette Commandant Birot that has entered the Black Sea, the Naval Postreports.
Commandant Birottransited has entered the Black Sea for the first time since November 2019.
The French Navy’s corvette is designed to provide support for strategic submarine forces, conduct reconnaissance and monitor maritime redeployments. The corvette is stationed at the Toulon naval base. The warship is 80 meters long, 10 meters wide, displaces 1,350 tonnes and has a crew of 90.
As the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported at the time, the patrol vessel Commandant Birot arrived at the port of Odessa "to support bilateral cooperation in the naval sphere and security at sea."
According to TASS, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has started to track the ship’s activities in Black Sea, the Russia’s National Defense Control Center reported on Tuesday.
"The Black Sea Fleet’s forces and capabilities have started to track the French Navy’s patrol vessel Commandant Birot that entered the Black Sea on May 11, 2021," the Center said.