Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Could Demand Refund for Mistral Ship If France Doesn't Deliver

An aerial view shows the Mistral-class helicopter carrier Sevastopol at the STX Les Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, western France, Sept. 22, 2014. Stephane Mahe / Reuters

Russia may demand monetary compensation unless France delivers the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers by the end of November, state news agency RIA quoted an unnamed source as saying on Friday.

RIA said a Russian delegation that had planned to travel to France on Friday to take part in a ceremony to transfer the first ship in the 1.2 billion euro ($1.5 billion) deal had stayed home and no new date for a handover had been set.

France's finance minister said in late October conditions for the sale were not in place after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, in his Twitter microblog, said Russian officials had been invited to France for the ceremony.

"We are preparing for various scenarios. We will wait until the end of the month [for the fulfilment of the Mistral contract] then we will announce some serious claims," said the unnamed source.

Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, which Rogozin said had been invited to France, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The source said analysts were looking at various amounts of monetary compensation. "The sum will not be secret," the source was quoted as saying.

Europe and the United States have imposed numerous rounds of sanctions on Russia for its role in eastern Ukraine, and France has faced pressure from other EU members and the United States to freeze the sale.

French President Francois Hollande said in early September that the Mistral contract had not been broken or suspended.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more