There are no Russian warships left in the Mediterranean Sea
For the first time since 2013, Russia has been left without a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea. This situation was caused by a combination of several factors, including restrictions on the passage of military ships through the Turkish straits, changes in the military and political situation in Syria, and the redeployment of some Russian ships to other strategic areas.
As of July 1, there were no Russian warships remaining in the Mediterranean Sea. The last Russian ships left the Mediterranean Sea in June. According to reports, on June 4, satellites detected the frigate *Admiral Kasatonov* and the tanker *Akademik Pashin* in Tartus, Syria.
According to analysts, this is the first such incident in the past 12 years. One of the main reasons was Turkey’s decision, following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to close the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to military vessels from other countries.
Ankara invoked the provisions of the Montreux Convention, as a result of which the Russian Black Sea Fleet lost the ability to freely move ships between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
Another factor was the situation in Syria. Following the change in government at the end of 2024, Russia effectively lost its previous ability to use the logistics base in Tartus, which for many years had served as a key base for the Russian Navy in the region.
In addition, some of the ships were redeployed to carry out other missions. In particular, certain vessels are escorting Russian government and special-purpose ships in northern Europe, including areas off the coast of the United Kingdom.
This was reported by the Russian Forces Spotter project on X.
As a reminder, on July 14, the Ukrainian Navy reported the destruction of the Russian FSB border patrol ship “Izumrud” near Novorossiysk. According to military sources, the strike on the vessel was carried out using the Sargan-3000 system.
In June 2026, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces reported striking a number of important enemy targets, including a “Svitlyak”-class border patrol vessel, a “Pantsir” anti-aircraft missile and gun system, navigation equipment, fuel tanks, locomotives, and transformers.
The small missile ship “Orekhovo-Zuyevo” (Project 21631 “Buyan-M”) of the Russian Federation’s Baltic Fleet was spotted with improvised protection against drones. Nets were stretched across the ship’s deck to cover certain structural elements.
