No Russian Navy Ships in Mediterranean for Two Months for First Time in Over a Decade

For the first time in more than a decade, no Russian Navy vessels were in the Mediterranean Sea for two months this year.

Breaking Defense published the report, citing a NATO official.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Russian Navy had no presence in the Mediterranean from early July to early September.

The source told the publication that the Russian Navy last had no ships in the region in 2016. Other assessments suggest this was the first such absence since 2013.

A NATO official and two analysts told Breaking Defense that several factors contributed to the absence, ranging from losing access to its key Mediterranean base in Tartus, Syria, to the need to protect shadow fleet vessels in other regions. At the same time, the Russian Navy lacks a sufficiently capable fleet of tankers and auxiliary vessels to sustain large deployed forces over an extended period.

“An example of this is that the Russian Navy has been positioning frigates in the English Channel continuously, and in order to keep those supplied, they have been relying on an Amur-class repair ship designed to deliver parts or fix things on the ship — not as a replenishment one. So they have been forced to do hull-to-hull transfers, which are really dangerous,” the NATO official said.

Basil Germond, a professor of international security at Lancaster University whom the publication approached for comment, agreed that Russia is increasingly redirecting its limited surface combatant force to protect strategically important commercial vessels. However, he cautioned against concluding that Russia would completely abandon critical Mediterranean maritime routes.