American sub shadows Russian fleet amidst Syrian evacuation
An American nuclear-powered submarine, most likely the USS Indiana, was present in the Mediterranean Sea where the Russian fleet, consisting of two cargo ships laden with military equipment—Sparta and Sparta II—and their escorting ships, was sighted.
On February 3, the Italian portal Itamilradar published a video showing a surfaced American submarine heading south from the vicinity of northern Sicily. At the same time, the Russian convoy was located off the southern shores of the island, being tracked by an Italian ATR P-72A aircraft and an American Boeing P-8 Poseidon, both specializing in detecting submarines and surface ships.
Data from the MarineTraffic portal revealed that the Russian cargo ships Sparta and Sparta II entered the Strait of Gibraltar on Saturday night. They were accompanied by the tanker General Skobielew. Russian warships, such as the frigates Admiral Grigorovich and Admiral Golovko, along with the landing ships Ivan Gren and Alexander Otrakovsky, were traveling with their AIS identification systems turned off.
Evacuation from Syria
Russian ships began the evacuation of weapons from the Syrian port of Tartus on January 27, as reported by the Resistance Center of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Hundreds of containers with weaponry, including TOR and Pantsir-S2 air defense systems, were on board the container ships, which were visible in footage released by the Russian Ministry of Defense in June last year.
The withdrawal of the Russian fleet from the Mediterranean could indicate a change in the Kremlin's strategy amidst uncertain negotiations with the new authorities in Syria. The base in Tartus was a key element of Russian influence in the Middle East. Russia might now be seeking a new base, with potential locations including the Libyan ports of Benghazi, Tobruk, or Al Bayda, which are controlled by Khalifa Haftar.
However, the situation in Libya is dynamic. The United States has engaged in the process of unifying the country's divided armed forces. General John Brennan of AFRICOM visited Tripoli and Benghazi, where he met with Saddam Haftar, Khalifa's son. The unification of the army could hinder Russia's efforts to take control of Libyan bases.
