MOSCOW, May 13. /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Black Sea fleet will receive 30 new modern warships of various classes and support ships under a naval construction programme in the next six years, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, said on Tuesday on the occasion of the 231st anniversary of creation of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

“This is not the case of any ungrounded naval buildup. These are the long-standing needs of the Russian Black Sea fleet which has not seen renovation for years,” the commander-in-chief told journalists.

The Black Sea Fleet will receive more than 86 billion rubles (around $2.3 billion) for its development by 2020, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu earlier said. 

The Russian Black Sea Fleet should bring into service submarines and surface warships of new generation this year, Sergey Shoigu said.

The fleet “have always received necessary forces,” but the fleet’s development program should be changed over recent reunification of the Republic of Crimea and the Russian federal city of Sevastopol with Russia.

“New air defence units and marine formations will be formed at the places of deployment of our fleet this year. New submarines, surface warships of new generation will be delivered to the Russian Black Sea Fleet this year, all this will require sufficient attention from us,” Shoigu said at a telecom conference.