Russian cargo ship 'on Syria military mission' sinks in Med.
A Russian cargo vessel, which Ukraine alleges was dispatched to Syria for the purpose of collecting weapons, has reportedly sunk in the Mediterranean Sea, as stated by officials in Moscow.
According to the foreign ministry, two crew members are currently unaccounted for following an explosion in the engine room that led to the sinking of the Ursa Major, located between Spain and Algeria. Fourteen other crew members were successfully rescued and transported to Spain. Ukraine's military intelligence asserted yesterday that the vessel was sent to Syria to retrieve weapons and military supplies after the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed.
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In a statement on Telegram, the agency noted that the ship experienced mechanical issues near Portugal, but the crew managed to "resolve the issue and proceed through the Strait of Gibraltar." Ship tracking information from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) indicates that the vessel departed from the Russian port of St. Petersburg on December 11. Its last recorded signal was at 10:04 PM GMT on Monday, situated between Algeria and Spain. Upon leaving St. Petersburg, the ship had indicated that its next destination would be the Russian port of Vladivostok.
The vessel is operated and owned by a company named SK-Yug, which is part of the shipping and logistics firm Oboronlogistics, as per LSEG data. Earlier this month, Assad fled to Moscow after rebels seized control of Damascus in a rapid offensive that ended his family's decades-long rule. The Kremlin has consistently supported Assad, who has granted Moscow access to a Mediterranean port and an airbase in exchange for military assistance against his adversaries. In 2015, Russia intervened in Syria's civil war, which began in 2011, launching its first airstrikes in response to IS fighters capturing the historic city of Palmyra. This intervention marked a pivotal moment in the conflict.
The following year, Syrian forces, with backing from Russia and Iran, successfully recaptured Aleppo, delivering a significant setback to the rebel factions.
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