Russian Naval Presence in the Mediterranean Falls to Zero for Weeks

For the first time since 2016, NATO tracked a two-month stretch with no Russian naval vessels in the Mediterranean, ending in early September, an alliance official said. Analysts cited several factors, including Russia’s loss of reliable access to its Tartus base in Syria, limited support ships, and warships assigned to escort merchant vessels. Restrictions on Russian ships transiting the Turkish Straits also constrain rotations from the Black Sea. Russian vessels have since returned, and experts caution the pause does not mean Moscow is abandoning the region.