New Russian navy movements in the Eastern Mediterranean have been detected. The tanker Yelnya is now sailing south of Cyprus and is expected to reach Tartus between tomorrow and Monday. Alongside it, the spy ship Kildin is also headed to Tartus.
At the same time, the Russian tanker Vice Admiral Paromov, which departed from Tartus, is moving westward to the southwest of Cyprus.
It will be interesting to ascertain whether the ship is moving alone or in the company of another unit (the latter being more likely). In the latter case, it will be important to understand whether the tanker is heading towards a specific area in the Mediterranean to conduct a joint mission with another unit. This would represent a “long-range mission” that hasn’t been observed in the Mediterranean for several months, involving Russian vessels.
Another possibility is that the tanker is returning to Russia. It’s worth noting that the Russian Ministry of Defense had announced that the frigate Admiral Gorshkov would remain stationed in the Mediterranean until August. In the coming days, we will surely learn more about this situation.