Putin ‘sending ships packed full of weapons just a few miles from Dover’
Vladimir Putin is poised to move thousands of tons of military equipment through the English Channel on its way to Russia.
A convoy of two cargo ships and an oil tanker, all sailing under the Russian flag, will pass the port of Dover within a few miles sometime in the coming week, raising serious security concerns.
Ammunition and weapons on board the three vessels are being repatriated to Russia from Syria.
The dictator lost his Navy base in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus after the collapse of the Assad regime, which Russia backed throughout the Syrian civil war.
Since then, Russia has stepped up its military withdrawal from the country, removing vehicles and containers with a lighting speed.
Sparta I and Sparta II, roll-on roll-off vessels used explicitly for transporting wheeled cargo, are part of the trio heading towards the English Channel.
Two large landing ships – Ivan Gren and Alexander Otrakovsky were also seen as part of the convoy.
Class A oil tanker General Skobelev, part of the Kremlin’s so-called ‘ghost fleet,’ is the third vessel linked to the operation.
The convoy is currently positioned a few miles from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon and is sailing towards Spain.
Routes forecast by MarineTraffic show that the vessels will go through the English Channel and then the North Sea.
Sparta I and General Skobelev are expected to arrive at Saint Petersburg between February 21 and 23.
Meanwhile, Sparta II will go through the Russian naval port of Baltiysk, in the Baltic, and then end it journey in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
It was a little more than two weeks ago that Russian pro-war Telegram channe; Fighterbomber wrote that most of the military equipment and property was being transported by air.
Meanwhile, ships are being used only for items that are too large or too expensive to move by plane.
The Russian fleet has no friendly port on the way to Saint Petersburg and is forced to repair whatever breakdowns at sea and without assistance.
There have already been reports by the Russian Forces Spotter that Sparta has suffered technical problems both en route to Tartus and on its return journey.
Metro has contacted the UK ministry of defence for a comment on the security concerns.
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