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Russia Has Two Military Sealift Flotillas in the Mediterranean

<p><em>The Station 720 quay in Tartus on September 11, with the tanker General Skobelev moored on the open flank of what seems to be a warship (Sentinel-2)/CJRC)</em></p>
<p><em>The Station 720 quay in Tartus on September 11, with the tanker General Skobelev moored on the open flank of what seems to be a warship (Sentinel-2)/CJRC)</em></p>

Published Sep 11, 2026 6:37 PM by The Maritime Executive

Three separate groups of Russian vessels carrying military cargoes are currently active in the Mediterranean.

Escorted by the Udaloy Class anti-submarine warfare destroyer RFS Admiral Levchenko (D605), the oil products tanker General Skobelev (IMO 9503304), the Ro-Ro cargo vessel Sparta (IMO 9268710) and the oiler Akademik Pashin (IMO 9778193) passed east through the Strait of Gibraltar late on August 27. They were followed through the English Channel by an abnormally large Royal Navy escort, consisting of the Daring-class destroyer HMS Duncan (D37), the frigate HMS St Albans (F83), OPV HMS Severn (P282 ), and with a Merlin helicopter in support.

As the Russian ships moved through the Channel, the permanent Russian piquet stationed in the Channel, the frigate RFS Neustrashimy (F722) kept company with the convoy as it transited. The Russian ships are believed to have arrived in Tartus on September 7, with the Sparta seen unloading on Pier 4, in the same position dockside which it used in January 2025.

In imagery taken on September 11, it appears that a warship is in the usual Station 720 position used by Russian frigates at Tartus, moored between the quayside and double-banked with the tanker General Skobelev tied up - possibly positioned protectively on its seaward side, but also potentially for a refueling operation.

The sanctioned Russia-flagged ro-ro cargo vessel Lady Mariia (IMO 9220641), which was attacked by multiple aerial drones in the central Mediterranean on September 7, seems to have survived its ordeal. Sailing independently, the Lady Mariia has made it to Port Said, and has been in the anchorage at the northern end of the Suez Canal since late on September 8, where ships normally wait as Canal convoys form up.

If the Lady Mariia sails through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, there will be indication as to the current status of Russia’s relationship with the Houthis, now that the Houthis have occupied the southeastern coastline of Yemen and the islands which dominate navigation in the southern end of the Red Sea. The Russians have not previously sought to test a US naval blockade, so the ship is unlikely to be heading for Iran.

Another Russian convoy also appears to be making for Tartus. The lead ship for this convoy appears to be the Ropucha-class landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin (L110), escorting the cargo vessels Anastasiia (IMO 9349291) and Yuriy Arshenevskiy (IMO 8406705), also both sanctioned and with well-established histories of moving military cargoes. As well as carrying cargo on its vehicle deck, the Aleksandr Shabalin is well able to act as an escort, being equipped with a 76mm main gun and two 57mm AK-725 anti-aircraft weapons.

The convoy was under surveillance by the Italian Air Force ATR P-72A when spotted between Sicily and Tunisia on September 10, having passed along the Algerian coast the day before. If this convoy is continuing eastwards, it should now be cruising through the sea area between Crete and Libya where drone attacks have occurred before. As a precaution, all three ships are travelling with their AIS systems switched off.