The dry cargo ship Sparta, which the Russian Federation sent to remove its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down while moving off the coast of Portugal.

However, as reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the malfunction was fixed, the ship passed the Strait of Gibraltar and is now moving east in a stormy sea.

According to Dumskaya, another Russian bulk carrier,  Ursa Major , is drifting off the coast of Spain. It also left Russian St. Petersburg last week and was heading to Tartus for the remaining contingent and equipment. On December 20, it was discovered by a P-3C Orion patrol aircraft of the Portuguese Air Force.

It is not yet known why the vessel has drifted, but the marinetraffic tracker indicates that a Spanish rescue helicopter, which had taken off from the airfield in the seaside town of Almeria, was overhead several hours ago.

There are also three Spanish rescue ships  near Ursa Major – Clara Campoamor, Salvamar Draco and another that could not be identified. What is happening on board the Russian bulk carrier is unknown, but such a concentration of rescue equipment is very suspicious.

According to European observers, the Russian Federation has sent a whole detachment of ships and conditionally civilian dry cargo ships to Syria. This night, large landing ships of the Russian Northern Fleet, Project 11711 Ivan Gren and Project 775 Alexander Otrakovskiy, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar in an easterly direction.

The entire route around Europe this squadron is accompanied by the corvette Soobrazitelny.

There is a version that Ukrainian intelligence officers made a mistake in identifying the broken vessel. It is quite possible that the accident occurred on the bulk carrier Ursa Major, which was previously called Sparta III. The confusion with similar names was the cause of the mess.

Dumskaya’s military observer Alexey Sukhoi believes that the Russian leadership is trying to find a new place to which to relocate its bases.

“The Russian Federation is currently working to maintain its presence in the Mediterranean region. Without military bases and a contingent in the Mediterranean, the Russian Federation will lose its status as a global player in the international arena. The new government in Damascus is clearly listening to Washington’s opinion and insists on the complete withdrawal of the Russian contingent from Syria. Where the Russian ships loaded with equipment will go is still unknown. One of the options remains Libya, but there has also been a war between opposing local elites there for many years. It is clear that Moscow will try to wedge itself into this confrontation in order to build a new base in the Mediterranean,” the observer noted.

Bulk carrier Ursa Mayor spotted by Portuguese patrol vessel Orion

Ursa Major drifts in Mediterranean, rescue helicopter circles above

Russian large landing ship “Ivan Gren” passes the Strait of Gibraltar

Spanish rescue ships head to Russian bulk carrier

(c)DUMSKAYA.NET 2024