Russia’s advanced universal amphibious assault ship, the Mitrofan Moskalenko, will become the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet once it is ready, a navy source has told TASS.

In his words, the warship "will become the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet after arriving to Sevastopol" from a shipyard in the Crimean city of Kerch.

"Necessary insfrastructure is being prepared in Sevastopol for the Mitrofan Moskalenko helicopter carrier currently being built at the Zaliv shipyard. The process proceeds on schedule," the source said on the sidelines of the 9th international naval business forum, which took place in Sevastopol.

"Work is under way in the Bay of Sevastopol, where it will be moored. Everything should be ready when the warship arrives to its home port," he added.

According to the source, the warship will assume the role of a Mistral-class helicopter carrier that Russia was to receive from France.

TASS has no official information on the issue at the time of the publication.