On the night of January 2, protected by darkness, the Russian submarine Novorossiysk B-61 passed under the Rock of Gibraltar and entered the Atlantic. The destination will be the Baltic.
With its "exit" Moscow has no more conventional "submarines" left in the Mediterranean Sea. This does not rule out, experts warn, the possibility of a nuclear-armed ship, but the symbolic/tactical value of the departure remains.
The departure of the Russian submarines was explained by observers as the last consequence of the Syrian regime of Assad. A collapse that has caused great uncertainty about the future of bases used by Russia in the country, such as Tartus and Latakia airports, Hmeimim airport and a number of smaller outposts, reports A2.
The installations made available by Damascus represented the strong point of the permanent Mediterranean Task Force created by Russia in 2013, a core made up of multiple units.
Putin currently has half a dozen on the high seas: among them several frigates, the intelligence ship Kildin, a couple for amphibious assault. Other merchant ships have been waiting for days, always with a view to a possible expulsion, while the Yantar, a research "ship" capable of special operations and espionage, has left Alexandria in Egypt.
The B-61, which has flown numerous missions in recent months, is considered a quality tool indispensable to the Navy's activities along sensitive routes, at a stage where threats are multiplying and a challenge is developing at the "bottom".
However, he needs a landing spot, which is not available at the moment, while his potential replacements are still far away and it is not clear if they will be sent to the area. Much will depend on the negotiations opened by the Kremlin with the new power in an attempt to preserve the installations where the presence was reduced due to the heavy engagement in Ukraine.
At the same time the contingent command began a "regrouping" concentrating soldiers and vehicles in both Tartus and Hmeimim. A good number of sophisticated equipment (radar, anti-aircraft missiles) were loaded onto large An 124 and Il 76 aircraft, which then departed for al Khadima, Cyrenaica, Libya.
Before Christmas there was a steady flow of flights to this destination, although some planes later arrived in Bamako, Mali, an important hub for the Kremlin's penetration of the Sahel, A2 reports.
Diplomatic sources have not ruled out the possibility that Moscow will seek an agreement with General Khalifa Haftar, the leader of Cyrenaica, to establish structures on the Libyan coast.
However, airports need to be expanded. Added to this is Western pressure on Haftar, who already has former Wagner formations on his territory, to resist the opposition. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
