Russia sends three large landing ships to Syria

Interfax news agency on August 3 quoted a source from the Russian General Staff as saying that three large landing ships carrying hundreds of Russian sailors are being sent to the Tartus naval base in Syria.

Russia's Tartus naval base in Syria - Photo: defenseupdate

According to the source, each ship carries 120 marines and will stay in Tartus for several days to resupply food and fresh water. The three ships are currently in the Mediterranean and will dock at Tartus at the end of the week.

The source did not disclose the purpose of the ship's deployment. Earlier, there were reports that Russia was considering evacuating about 30,000 Russian citizens from Syria, and deploying marines to protect equipment and personnel at the Tartus base as the violence in Syria escalated.

Tartus is Russia's only overseas naval base since the post-Soviet era. Interfax sources confirmed that losing this base would be a strategic loss for Russia.

“The Tartus base is extremely important for the Russian Navy in terms of military strategy. It supports forces in the Mediterranean, so losing the Tartus base would have negative consequences and Russia would no longer have real influence in this important region.

Earlier, the Russian General Staff warned Syrian rebels not to carry out any attacks on the Tartus base, and Russia would respond strongly if this happened.

According to Tuoi Tre - DT