The Russian Navy has cleared out of the Mediterranean Sea completely, leaving the basin without a single Russian warship for the first time since 2013, maritime security analysts reported on Friday, July 17.
project Russian Forces Spotter. According to the group's analysts, a primary driver of the deployment gap is Turkey's ongoing closure of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to warships. Enacted following the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the maritime blockade has effectively barred Russia's Black Sea Fleet from executing routine personnel and vessel rotations into the Mediterranean.
, Mark Douglas, an analyst at Starboard Maritime Intelligence, emphasised the immense logistical hurdles now facing Moscow's naval planners. Ships dispatched to the Mediterranean must now make the arduous journey from Northern Europe and return via the same route.
By Tamilla Hasanova
