NAVAL INTEREST


IVAN TO SYRIA AFTER ALL
Russian Warships with Marines Head to Syria
 

Photo: Russian missile cruiser VARYAG departing San Francisco USCG Official Photo by PO3 Pamela J. Manns ,  June 25, 201

 Some of the Russian war ships that we reported entering the Mediterranean Sea from Gibraltar and the Black Sea are indeed now headed to Syria. Russian sources have so far released no word on the mission . Russia has a small naval repair and supply station in Syria. Despite having acted with China to block UN resolutions against the present Syrian regime, Russia appears to have grown tired of the Syrian regime but is determined to keep her base on the Mediterranean. One can never take Russian public announcements at face value, but the the latest releases indicate that the the ships typically carry about 120 marines each. That would be enough of a force to secure a base, not enough to save a falling regime in the midst of a civil war. Russia may be simply positioning itself to operate its base in a power vacuum and eventually negotiate a new lease with a new regime.  

 Meanwhile the Chinese naval units in the area remain in the Black Sea. With Ivan, The Dragon, and thankfully, the Tiger (Russia, China, and India) in the Mediterranean all arriving within about a day of each other something interesting is going on. Watch this space and our News Service  section as we continue to monitor and analyze the situation in the Mediterranean.