MOSCOW - Russia's navy says one of its frigates has repelled a pirate attack on a Saudi ship in the Gulf of Aden.
The navy says the guided-missile frigate was guarding three cargo ships when it received a distress signal from the Saudi ship Rabih on Saturday.
Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo says today the frigate sailed immediately toward the Rabih, which had been approached by several speedboats with pirates on board.
He says the frigate sent up a helicopter and the attack was repelled.
Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991, is the world's top piracy hotspot.
It is located along the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and is one of the world's busiest waterways.
