The aircraft carrier task force of Russia’s Northern Fleet has started its voyage to the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, the fleet’s press service said on Saturday.

"The group consists of the aircraft-carrying heavy cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, the Pyotr Velikiy battlecruiser, large anti-submarine ships Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov and support vessels," the statement said.

The goal of the voyage is "to ensure naval presence in the important areas of the World Ocean," it said. "Special focus will be made on safeguarding security of maritime traffic and other types of maritime economic activity of Russia and also on responding to the new kinds of modern threats such as piracy and international terrorism."

The previous joint voyage to the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea of the Admiral Kuznetsov and Pyotr Velikiy was completed in the first half of 2014. The current long voyage is the eighth one for the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.