The procurement order was given to French ship-building company Socarenam. The vessels are part of the Overseas Patroller Programme announced by Defence Minister Florence Parly this November, aimed at strengthening the protection of France’s maritime regions and replacing the old generation of patrol ships.

Moscow plans to equip all battalions of the Russian Northern Fleet with the S-400 air defense system within several years in a bid to create an air defense “dome” over the Russian Arctic, a naval commander says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on December 9 agreed to “commit to a full and comprehensive implementation” of a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine by the end of 2019, a joint communique says.