Russia's navy has returned to the Mediterranean for the first time in two months, ending what military sources described as the first interruption to its Mediterranean presence since 2013 — with ships reportedly detected switching off their tracking transponders before passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior European military source said the "Syrian Express" ships had arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus on Monday.
The informal name "Syrian Express" refers to Moscow's maritime logistics network that transfers military supplies, weapons, and equipment between Russian ports and Tartus.
It has been running intermittently since Russia's military intervention in Syria in 2015, frequently involving sanctioned vessels that have also been associated with Russia's broader shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
The latest Russian convoy included the sanctioned cargo vessel Sparta, the sanctioned tanker General Skobelev, and the replenishment ship Akademik Pashin, all escorted by the destroyer Admiral Levchenko.
