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5th March 2025
01:16pm GMT
A sanctioned Russian cargo ship crewed by men in military fatigues has been spotted transporting military hardware through the English Channel, escorted by a Russian warship, as President Putin bolsters his Ukraine war effort with weapons from Syria.
Pictures taken by The Times from a fishing vessel appear to show armed officers and crew manning machine guns on the warship as it passed through the Channel.
The Baltic Leader, a cargo ship sanctioned by the US for transporting weapons on behalf of the Russian military, was carrying a shipment of military hardware from the Russian naval base in Tartus, where Russian operations in Syria are being wound down and equipment shipped out.
It is actually the third time in the space of a month that a vessel carrying Russian weapons from Syria has passed through the channel, with two more expected in coming weeks.
Russia sent a warship, the Boikiy, to accompany the Baltic Leader, where sailors could be seen burning classified papers and manning the ship’s machine guns.
The ships were followed by HMS Somerset and a Belgian naval vessel BNS Crocus.
The regular weapons shipments between Syria and Russia have been nicknamed the Syrian Express.
The shipments transport weapons from Russian bases in the Middle East to the Ukrainian front lines.
These ships normally carry an armed guard but it is not known whether guards are drawn from the Russian army, marines or private military contractors.
Though it is unclear exactly what is on the ship, satellite images taken of the port of Tartus on February 1 show the Baltic Leader being loaded.
On deck, heavy artillery guns as well as vehicles and shipping containers can be seen at the dock, waiting to be transported.
Senior analyst at the Open Source Centre, Joseph Byrne said: "While it isn’t exactly clear what cargo the vessel is loading, Tartus is a port where Russia has been storing its military equipment, likely waiting for transport.
"Since mid-February we have seen a number of Russian flagged cargo vessels sail from Syria into the Mediterranean and through the English Channel.
"They have exhibited highly similar patterns of life, including switching off their transponders when entering Syrian waters and ports, not broadcasting their final destinations, and appearing to sail through the Channel with a military escort for protection."
Ukraine has become more adept at sinking Russian vessels in the Black Sea, forcing them to send weapons shipments from Syria on the longer route to ports in the Baltic, which requires transit of the Strait of Gibraltar, the English Channel, and the Great Belt between Denmark and Sweden instead.
In December, a historical weapons-carrying ship sank in the Mediterranean. The owners - the Russian defence logistics company Oboronlogistika - said it was caused by three explosions.
Given the escort it received, it is likely the cargo on the Baltic Leader could be significant to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
Preventing ships from transiting the Channel is difficult. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, vessels have a right of passage through the territorial waters of another country.
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