SEVASTOPOL, August 18. /TASS/. The Black Sea Fleet’s minesweeper Ivan Golubets arrived in the Mediterranean Sea for accomplishing missions within the Russian Navy’s taskforce, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday.

"The Black Sea Fleet’s ocean minesweeper Ivan Golubets has completed its transit through the Black Sea straits and started accomplishing assignments as part of the Russian Navy’s permanent taskforce in the Mediterranean Sea," the press office said in a statement.

"During its transit to the distant maritime zone, the minesweeper’s personnel practiced measures for the ship’s maneuvering and control while passing through sea lanes with intensive shipping. Within the Navy’s taskforce, the crew began drills for searching for mines in the designated water area, using various contact and non-contact sweeps, to lead a group of ships through minefields," the statement says.

The crew of the minesweeper Ivan Golubets joined the Russian Navy’s taskforce on a planned rotating basis to replace the ocean minesweeper Vice-Admiral Zakharyin that had been in service in the Mediterranean Sea from May this year, the press office said.

Russian Navy’s Mediterranean Squadron

The Soviet Navy’s 5th Mediterranean Squadron served as a prototype for the Russian Navy’s permanent Mediterranean taskforce operating at present. The 5th operational Soviet Squadron dealt with the tasks of naval presence in the Mediterranean theater of operations during the Cold War period. Its main rival was the US Navy’s 6th Fleet. The Soviet Squadron was disbanded on December 31, 1992, a year after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

In 2013, Russia started to create a new operational Mediterranean taskforce. Russia’s new permanent Squadron is dealing with planned and urgent combat missions arising in the Mediterranean theater of operations, including warding off threats to Russia’s national and military security.