Russian ships, including those under sanctions, entered the Mediterranean via Gibraltar on August 27, escorted by a destroyer. This marks Russia's return to the region after a two-month absence, coinciding with increased surveillance from NATO and European navies. The convoy is part of Moscow’s "Syrian Express," a logistics network transferring military supplies between Russian ports and Tartus in Syria since 2015. Ships were observed turning off tracking transponders during transit through the Strait of Gibraltar, prompting closer monitoring by NATO countries like Britain and Italy.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15,
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Story summary
On August 27, four Russian ships, including sanctioned cargo and tanker vessels escorted by a destroyer, entered the Mediterranean through Gibraltar. This marks the first interruption of Russia's naval presence in the region since 2013. Military sources reported that these ships had previously turned off their tracking transponders while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. The convoy, informally named "Syrian Express," arrived at Tartus, Syria on Monday. Since Russia’s military intervention in Syria in 2015, this network has intermittently transferred military supplies and equipment between Russian ports and Tartus, often involving sanctioned vessels used to circumvent Western sanctions. Airwars monitoring group estimates that more than 14,000 Syrian civilians have been killed due to Russian air strikes, which predominantly targeted opposition-held civilian areas rather than the stated aim of combating ISIS.
Written for “Russian Ships In Mediterranean” on 2026-09-17,
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Four Russian ships, including sanctioned cargo and tanker vessels escorted by a destroyer, entered the Mediterranean via Gibraltar on 27 August, ending the first interruption of Russia's naval presence there since 2013.
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ships → include → 2013
Russia's navy has returned to the Mediterranean for the first time in two months, ending what military sources described as the first interruption to its Mediterranean presence since 2013 — with ships reportedly detected switching off their tracking transponders before passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.
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ships → return → Gibraltar
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior European military source said the "Syrian Express" ships had arrived at the Syrian port of Tartus on Monday.
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ships → speak → Monday
The informal name "Syrian Express" refers to Moscow's maritime logistics network that transfers military supplies, weapons, and equipment between Russian ports and Tartus.
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that → refer → ports
It has been running intermittently since Russia's military intervention in Syria in 2015, frequently involving sanctioned vessels that have also been associated with Russia's broader shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
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Moscow → run → sanctions
The latest Russian convoy included the sanctioned cargo vessel Sparta, the sanctioned tanker General Skobelev, and the replenishment ship Akademik Pashin, all escorted by the destroyer Admiral Levchenko.
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all → include → destroyer
Despite its return to the Mediterranean, Russia's navy remains under tight European surveillance.
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navy → remain → surveillance
The ships in question were closely tracked by the Italian Carabinieri frigate as they sailed through the central Mediterranean after they were spotted at Gibraltar.
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they → track → Gibraltar
Euronews obtained exclusive photos of the Italian frigate alongside the Russian ships.
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Euronews → obtain → ships
Tracking data from the specialised website MarineTraffic indicates that the vessels switched off their automatic identification system (AIS) transponders — which automatically broadcast ships' identity, position, speed, and course — before passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.
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which → track → Gibraltar
Britain deployed three ships — HMS Duncan, HMS St Albans and HMS Severn — to monitor the convoy as it sailed through the English Channel.
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it → deploy → Channel
The military source told Euronews that in recent months, Syrian express ships have begun cutting off AIS transponders even "more frequently" than in the past, with this practice almost becoming "systematic".
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practice → tell → past
Russia retains post-al-Assad presence in Syria
Tartus is Russia's only naval base outside the former Soviet Union and its sole resupply and maintenance point in the Mediterranean.
The Soviet Union established the facility in 1971 under a lease agreement with Damascus, using it to sustain its Mediterranean fleet during the Cold War.
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Union → retain → War
Russia intervened militarily in Syria in September 2015, entering the country's civil war on the side of Bashar al-Assad at a moment when his forces were losing ground to opposition groups.
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forces → intervene → groups
Moscow initially said its strikes were targeting the so-called Islamic State terrorist group, but international organisations documented that the majority of Russian air strikes hit opposition-held civilian areas, with the Airwars monitoring group assessing that those strikes resulted in the deaths of more than 14,000 Syrian civilians.
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strikes → say → civilians
When the al-Assad regime finally collapsed in December 2024, Russian warships evacuated from Tartus within days — a precautionary move to avoid being seized or denied departure.
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warships → collapse → departure
In August, Damascus announced it had reached a deal with Moscow to retain Russia's future presence in the two military bases it has in the country.
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it → announce → country
On 9 August, Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus naval base would become “joint training and capacity-building centres” under new arrangements aimed at preserving "mutual interests".
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airbase → quote → interests
The senior European military source outlined several factors which are hindering Moscow's ability to maintain its presence in the Mediterranean including Russia's ageing navy, European sanctions against its shadow fleet, as well as Ukrainian naval and aerial drones targeting its Black Sea fleet.
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which → outline → fleet
European and Ukrainian pressure on the shadow fleet is also pushing Russia to deploy military escorts for its oil tankers.
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pressure → push → tankers
The Aporia
