Russia to Defend Tartus
An Interfax news report has quoted a Russian navy official as saying that two vessels are nearly ready to head for port of Tartus in Syria to protect Russian nationals and defend the nation’s base there.
Russian navy ships ‘to set sail for Syria’
Two Russian naval ships are completing preparations to sail to Syria with a unit of marines, on a mission to protect Russian citizens and the nation’s base there, according to a news report.
The deployment appears to reflect Moscow’s growing concern about the future of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.
The Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified Russian navy official as saying two amphibious landing vessels, Nikolai Filchenkov and Caesar Kunikov, would be heading shortly to the Syrian port of Tartus, but gave no precise date.
The official said the ships would carry an unspecified number of marines to protect Russians in Syria and evacuate some equipment from Tartus if necessary.
Interfax said each of the ships was……[access full article]
