Moscow 29 Jun (ANA) - Russia has dismissed the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier as "just a convenient, large maritime target". Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov was hitting back at the UK for criticism of Russia's ageing carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. HMS Queen Elizabeth set sail on Monday from Rosyth dockyard in Scotland. Later UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon called the Admiral Kuznetsov "old, dilapidated". The ship sailed through the English Channel last year. The 26-year-old Kuznetsov rarely goes anywhere without a naval tug, in case it breaks down. Last October it was part of a Russian flotilla that sailed to Syrian coastal waters via the North Sea, English Channel and Mediterranean. The thick, black smoke belching from the giant Soviet-era ship attracted some mockery on social media. (ANA)

FA/ANA/29 June 2017------