MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is tracking the French Navy’s patrol ship Commandant Birot that has entered the Black Sea, 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.

Before that, the French corvette entered the Black Sea in November 2019. 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."

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.