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A Russian naval and merchant convoy delivered supplies last week to Syrian coastal facilities operated by Moscow, according to two informed sources. This marks the first mission since both governments agreed last month on the framework for Russia's military presence in the country.
The deployment demonstrates that Moscow is maintaining the resupply of Tartus Port and the Hmeimim airbase following the pact, which transfers civilian facilities to Syrian control and converts military sites into joint training centers.
The agreement allows for the continued presence of Russian troops at these strategic bases, historically used by the Kremlin to project power into the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa. Tartus hosts Russia's only naval repair and supply facility in the Mediterranean basin.
Although supply to both points has been constant in recent months, this was the first logistical operation since the pact was announced on August 9.
The group of four vessels arrived in Tartus on September 7, according to movement records tracked by Reuters and maritime intelligence firm SynMax.
Satellite images verified by the agency showed the Ro-Ro cargo ship Sparta and the Navy tanker Akademik Pashin docked the following day at piers 3 and 4 of the port.
A Reuters correspondent confirmed the presence of both vessels docked on September 9, while the tanker General Skobelev remained anchored in outer waters. During the unloading maneuvers, a surveillance balloon flew over the port area.
A Syrian military source and a Russian-Syrian businessman confirmed that the Sparta unloaded supplies and ammunition destined for Hmeimim and Tartus. However, Reuters could not independently verify the content or recipients of the cargo.
SynMax identified the fourth member of the convoy as the Admiral Levchenko, a Russian Udaloy-class destroyer.
Neither the Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs nor the Russian embassy in Damascus responded to requests for comment.
The vessels turned off their transmission systems after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar towards the Mediterranean. Reuters tracked the group by satellite as it transited eastward until its arrival on the Syrian coast.
The Sparta, a regular in Russian military logistics in Syria, is under US sanctions, as is the General Skobelev, penalized by the West for transporting Russian crude oil.
Damascus and Moscow sealed the pact on Hmeimim and Tartus after 18 months of negotiations, following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad, a historical ally of the Kremlin, in December 2024.
