Russia resupplies Syria air base as it seeks to maintain foothold: WSJ
Russia resupplied its air base in Syria through a cargo ship delivery last month, signaling Moscow’s intention to maintain its strategic military foothold in the country, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Citing unnamed U.S. officials and reviewed satellite images, the WSJ reported on June 1 that the cargo ship Sparta left the Russian city of St. Petersburg in March and arrived at Syria’s Tartus port in May.
The report described the delivery, made while the vessel was escorted by Russian navy ships for much of its journey, as the first such resupply mission since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
According to some U.S. officials, the vessel was carrying equipment for the nearby Russian air base at Khmeimim. The report noted that its owner is under U.S. sanctions for delivering weapons on Russia’s behalf.
