Russia's Moskva missile cruiser completes first visit to Sri Lanka

The flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, the RFS Moskva guided-missile cruiser, has left the port of Colombo, concluding its first official visit to Sri Lanka, a Navy spokesman said.

"The official visit of the Russian warship was a source of great interest both among the senior officials of the republic's Defense Ministry and the local population," the spokesman said, adding that around 1,000 locals, including army and navy officers, had visited the boat during its short stop in the Sri Lankan capital

The RFS Moskva arrived at the port of Colombo on August 13. The crew of the warship visited the Viharamahadevi Park, the Ganga Rama Buddhist Temple and the National Museum.

The RFS Moskva is currently on its way back to its base in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol. It set off from the port of Vladivostok in Russia's Far East on July 21.

In Vladivostok, the ship took part in Russia's Vostok 2010 military drills jointly with the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the RFS Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser, and the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the RFS Varyag guided-missile cruiser.