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Fire Breaks Out on Russian Spy Ship Off Syria

Kildin from the deck of TCG Kemalreis (NATO Maritime Command)
Kildin from the deck of TCG Kemalreis (NATO Maritime Command)

Published Jan 27, 2025 10:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

U.S.-funded Radio Liberty reports that the Russian surveillance ship Kildin suffered an apparent engine room fire or stack fire while loitering off Syria's coast last week. The incident was observed by French naval forces on Thursday but not reported until Monday. 

According to RFI's source in the French navy, the fire started at about 1200 GMT and burned for about five hours. Kildin reportedly turned down all offers of aid. 

Kildin is a 55-year-old intelligence ship built in Soviet-controlled Poland, one of a series of nine. RFI suggests that her role off Syria is to monitor communications to gain insight on the intentions and plans of Syria's new rulers. 

Cargo movements under way at Tartus

Satellite photos obtained Monday show that cargo movements are finally under way at the Russian naval base at Tartus, Syria, signaling a likely evacuation of the military equipment that has been waiting on the pier for the past month. 

Since the 1970s, Russia's navy has held a lease on the northernmost pier in the port of Tartus, and for decades it has been the only significant Russian foothold in a Mediterranean seaport. That may be changing: In December, U.S.-designated terrorist group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the Russian-backed regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad, bringing an apparent end to 13 years of civil war. Russia's troops retreated to Tartus and Hmeimem, where the Russian Air Force maintains an airbase. Dozens of military vehicles - reportedly including valuable S-400 air defense system components - have been stranded at Tartus ever since. 

Two military cargo ships (Sparta and Sparta II) were dispatched to Syria from the Baltic, arriving in early January. Amidst rumors of negotiations between Russia and Syria, they loitered off the coast for weeks. Both finally berthed at the base early last week, and the satellite imaging taken Monday shows significant changes on the piers. Sparta II has left port and is under way, and a large quantity of the equipment that had been located next to her berth is now gone. Sparta is still alongside, and the staging area near her is filled with containers.