"The ships will shortly start passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. Later the two large landing ships will cross the Suez Canal and set off for the coast of Somalia to fight the local pirates," the source said.

He identified the ships as the Yamal and Azov, based in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol which Russia leases from Ukraine.

Both ships are capable of landing large quantities of vehicles and troops on shore.

Russia's navy said in a statement that the Azov and Yamal had left for the Indian Ocean, but it said they would participate in joint exercises with India's navy and did not mention the anti-piracy mission.

The Russian anti-submarine vessel Admiral Vinogradov is currently patrolling the waters off Somalia along with warships from other countries, having replaced the frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless) earlier this month.

Last year saw an upsurge of piracy in the waters of Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991. Over 130 pirate attacks took place near the east African nation in 2008, the vast majority on commercial shipping.

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