The ferry line between Makhachkala and Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk) that functioned during the Soviet era resumed operation on 10 August. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Federal Border Guard Service Director Colonel General Konstantin Totskii attended the departure of the first ferry from the capital of Daghestan. The ferry will have both military and civil functions. In times of military need, each ferry will be capable of carrying up to 60 pieces of military hardware and 200 troops. In peacetime, the ferry will transport Turkmen oil and liquid gas directly to Russia, circumventing Georgia and Azerbaijan. (Interfax)