Russian arms escort passes through English Channel despite Western sanctions
Photo: The Russian army's Syrian escort passed through the English Channel (facebook com mod mil rus)
A convoy of Russian military and cargo ships passed through the English Channel this week, despite Western sanctions. These ships are transporting weapons, including Russian weapons from Syria, The Times reports.
This week, the British Navy spotted the movement of a Syrian escort - a group of Russian military and cargo ships. They crossed the English Channel.
The sanctioned cargo ship Maia-1, which has been sanctioned for transporting artillery shells from North Korea to Russia, was spotted following four other ships off the British coast.
Behind them were two other ships, Sparta IV and Siyanie Severa, suspected of carrying weapons from Syria to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. The heavily armed destroyer Severomorsk and the landing ship Alexander Shabalin followed the escort.
According to The Times, this was one of the largest Russian escorts to enter British and French territorial waters since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It also marked the first time Moscow sent a ship directly involved in arms trade with North Korea through the Channel.
The Maia-1 is one of more than 20 vessels owned by a company that has been sanctioned by the UK, the European Union and the US. The UK Ministry of Defense named it as one of the ships used to transport weapons from North Korea.
Photo: route of the Russian ship Maia-1 (thetimes.com)
The ship had been transporting ammunition between North Korea and Vladivostok for several years. However, in January, for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the ship left the Pacific Ocean with cargo bound for St Petersburg.
Cargo ships Sparta IV and Siyanie Severa, which also passed through the English Channel on Monday, March 17, were likely transporting military equipment evacuated from Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, the outlet states.
They were escorted by the warship Severomorsk, which is armed with eight anti-aircraft and naval guns, 72 anti-ship and air-defense missiles, and 44 anti-submarine torpedoes and missile launchers. The vessel has a crew of 300 and can carry two Ka-27 military helicopters.
In early December 2024, the regime of Bashar al-Assad, whose family had ruled Syria for decades, was overthrown. Power in Syria transitioned to rebel forces, and during the interim period, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared President. World leaders welcomed the fall of Assad’s regime.
Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia, where he is reportedly still residing. Moscow tried to quickly evacuate its weapons from Syria. According to intelligence reports, Russia transported arms to Lebanon and Africa, with the possibility of redirecting them for use in its war against Ukraine.
