MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. Russia’s aircraft carrier-led naval task force in the Mediterranean is fully self-sufficient and does not have to pull into ports for replenishing reserves, the Navy’s commander-in-chief, Vladimir Korolyov, told the Rossiya-24 round-the-clock television news channel.

"All voyages by our groups, including the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier-led group, are planned in a way that lets them remain totally self-sufficient and independent from coastal logistics. There have been no problems so far and there will not be any. Although we have not stopped at Malta and Ceuta the solution of tasks set to us will not be affected," Korolyov said.

He added that the task force included three fuel tankers.

The naval task force began its voyage to the Northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean on October 15.

At the end of October the Spanish Foreign Ministry said that at Moscow’s request Madrid had allowed three ships from the Russian naval group to pull into the port of Ceuta, but Russia eventually withdraw its request. The Defense Ministry said that it had not asked for permission to The Admiral Kuznetsov to visit Ceuta, but merely considered the possibility of a "business visit by some ships and a logistic ship." Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian group was totally self-sufficient and the schedule of the voyage was in no way affected.