Russia Demands Written Explanation Over Delay In Mistral Helicopter Carrier Delivery

Russia has demanded a written explanation from Paris as to why a Mistral helicopter carrier not delivered to Russia according to an earlier agreement, Ria Novosti reported Tuesday.

“Russia could not accept oral explanations from individual French politicians of why the warship was not delivered on time, even if that politician is the country’s president,” a high ranking official from the Russian Defense Ministry’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) was quoted as saying.

"In order to take further actions, turning to the court or giving France more time [to comply], Russia needs to have a written explanation of the situation," the official said.

The French-Russian mistral helicopter deal has been embroiled in controversy over the last few months over Moscow’s involvement in the Ukraine crisis.

The deal, since it was signed in 2010, has drawn fire from the United States and its NATO allies from Eastern Europe. Russia and France signed the €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) deal for the two Mistral-class ships in June 2011.