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Russian military convoy enroute to Mediterranean

Russia's military has military equipment for export again. On April 30, a military convoy consisting of three freighters and a frigate was observed for the first time in the Baltic Sea. The "Jiaganghangbeng 01" had the Russian Navy's flag flying from its mast. The Russian frigate "Boikiy" used the Chinese name to camouflage itself and escort the Russian heavy-lift carriers "Baltic Leader," "Patria," and "Siyanie Severa." The freighter convoy is fully loaded. More than 10,000 tons are on board, as the draft suggests. The convoy set off on the evening of April 29 from the Russian naval port of Baltiysk in Kaliningrad, Russia's largest military depot on the Baltic Sea. Its destination is the Mediterranean. The Danish Navy and the GErman Federal Police have been shadowing the convoy since that day. The task force vessel "Bamberg" followed the "Boikiy" from Rügen through the Kadet Trench and the Fehmarn Belt. The NATO will also be closely monitoring the convoy in the coming weeks. The convoy is the largest Russian military transport in the Baltic Sea since January 2022, when six landing ships left the Baltic Sea with equipment for the Ukraine campaign and headed for the Black Sea. The last convoy sent from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean was in December, with the heavy-lift freighters "URSA Major" and "Sparta." The "URSA Major" sank during the voyage after an explosion off the Algerian coast on Dec 23. The destination could be Libya. Russia is currently very active in the Sahel region. From bases in Libya, they can expand their influence in the region. Satellite images have shown construction activities since February at the Libyan military airport Maaten al-Sarra, which has been closed since 2011. The military base is strategically located in the Sahel region. From there, deliveries of military equipment to Sudan, Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso are easily feasible. The use of these roll-on/roll-off vessels suggests that Russian military vehicles are also being transported. The deployment of so much equipment raises the suspicion that the war in Ukraine is no longer a priority. In 2024, a large portion of the military equipment retrieved from Syria was also sent to Ukraine.

Russian military goods underway on sanctioned ship

The 'Baltic Leader' has transited the English Channel on March 3-4, 2025, and according to security services, the ship is packed with military equipment that comes from Tartus, Syria, where the ship sailed on Feb 13, and may soon be used against Ukraine. The 'Baltic Leader' is on the international sanctions list because it transports prohibited goods. It was already the third large ship in a month. In the coming weeks, two more of such shipments will transit along the coast. The 'Baltic Leader' was escorted and secured by the Russian warship 'Boikiy'. HMS 'Somerset' and a Belgian navy ship followed the Russians at a short distance as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard UK national security and critical infrastructure. The Russian equipment is disappearing from Syria at an increasing rate. The ships sail through the Mediterranean Sea past Spain and Portugal through the North Sea towards a safe Russian port. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships have the right to sail through the territorial waters of another country. Ukraine has become increasingly adept at sinking Russian ships in the Black Sea, so now Russia takes its cargo the long way around Europe, through the Strait of Gibraltar, Dover and the Great Belt between Sweden and Denmark. Reports with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/uk-tracks-russian-roro-carrying-arms-from-syria-escorted-by-warship https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/russian-officer-brandishes-machine-gun-on-warship-in-the-channel/ar-AA1Amibt https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/uks-royal-navy-monitors-russian-warship-latest-to-sail-through-channel

Court has acquitted the captain of the 'Baltic Leader'

A French court has acquitted the captain of the 'Baltic Leader', who was accused of violating EU sanctions in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when he left the port of Rouen. He was cleared by the Rouen Criminal Court on Oct 10, 2024, after facing charges and having his ship confiscated by French authorities. The prosecution had sought a €16 million fine and a 10-month suspended prison sentence, arguing that the vessel was owned by PSB Leasing, a Russian company under sanctions. At the centre of the case was the question of the ship’s ownership at the time of its interception. Prosecutors contended that the vessel remained under the control of PSB Leasing, a subsidiary of the Russian state-linked Promsvyazbank, which had been targeted by European sanctions. However, the captain’s defence had argued the vessel had already been sold to another company, the TransMorFlot, just days before the war in Ukraine broke out. The court’s ruling followed a similar decision by the Douai Court of Appeal in Dec 2022, which had ordered the release of the ship, determining that TransMorFlot had taken ownership on Feb 16, 2022, nine days before the 'Baltic Leader' was seized.