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Russian fleet leaves Coral Sea

The Defence Force says its monitoring of a Russian fleet to the north of Australia was conducted "professionally and courteously by all parties".

The flotilla of Russian ships stationed in international waters north of Australia for the G20 summit has now left the Coral Sea.

The ADF sent three ships and an Orion aircraft to monitor the Russian fleet, whose presence was interpreted as a show of force by President Vladimir Putin.

Chief of Defence Mark Binskin on Thursday announced the four Russian ships had gone, and had never entered Australian waters.

"We made periodic radio contact with the Russian flotilla and this communication was conducted professionally and courteously by all parties and was consistent with normal maritime communication procedures," ACM Binskin said.

The government and defence force downplayed the arrival of the fleet, saying the Russian navy had in the past sent ships to international waters ahead of events like the G20 in Brisbane.

The Russians said they were testing their Pacific fleet's range capability, and if necessary could provide security for President Putin.

The arrival of the ships came after Prime Minister Tony Abbott threatened to shirt-front the Russian leader over the shooting down of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in July, resulting in the deaths of 38 Australians.


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