Russia is also looking to improve their shipyards.
The Soviet Union's shipyard that produced all of its aviation ships (Moskva, Kiev, & Kuznetsov classes ), Soviet Shipyard No. 444 (akaNikolayev South Shipyard) is now apart of the Ukraine, and no longer available.
The Russian shipyard dealing with the conversion of Gorshkov for India has proven less than competent... which bodes ill for the Russian ambition for several new carriers.
Even the large surface combatants currently building or recently delivered in Russia are mainly ones that were designed (and in some cases laid down) before the fall of the Soviet Union.
The text of the article indicates that that first "Mistral-ski" would be built in France (presumably with significant contingents of Russian designers, production managers, engineers, and lead workers present throughout), but subsequent ones would be built in Russia with French technical assistance.
Therefore, this is as much about rebuilding Russian shipbuilding capacity as it is acquiring warships (much like the UK's CVF program, eh?).