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Syrian Rebels’ Advance Prompts Russia To Retreat From Its Mediterranean Naval Base
With Syrian rebels only 50 miles away, Russia has evacuated all its warships from Tartus, its only naval base in the Mediterranean, satellite photos show. Situated 100 miles east of Cyprus and 100 miles south of Turkey, Tartus has since the Soviet days been Moscow’s platform for force projection into the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Russia is evacuating naval assets from its base in Tartus, Syria, which may suggest that Russia does not intend to send significant reinforcements to support Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s regime in the near term,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War reported last night. Suddenly missing from the base’s two floating piers are three frigates, one submarine, and two oilers.