SPARTA IV

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Russian military transporter observed by Royal Navy

On Sep 20 the 'Sparta IV', used for military cargoes, was identified as moving west through the North Sea for the transit of the English Channel. The cargo ship was being escorted by the Soviet-era frigate RFN 'Neustrashimy''. The 'Sparta IV' has been sailing for the Russians since 2018 and is operated by a sanctioned shipping company. The Royal Navy called on its Plymouth-based frigate HMS 'Iron Duke' for the monitoring operation. It was the 18th time in the past 12 months that the warship has been activated for monitoring missions, reporting a total of 25 Russian vessels having been monitored. For the latest effort, she was joined by a Wildcat helicopter from Yeovilton’s 815 Naval Air Squadron. The ships passed without incident. The 'Sparta IV' was continuing to the Mediterranean. Near the Channel Islands and the island of Ushant, the 'Iron Duke' handed over the monitoring of the cargo ship to a NATO ally. The Russian warship ended the escort and reversed course back through the English Channel. The 'Iron Duke' continued to monitor the vessel until it entered the North Sea. Iron Duke ended the monitoring on Sep 23, returning to its homeport. The monitoring was stepped up after numerous reports of drones possibly being launched from Russian-controlled vessels. Air traffic was suspended on Sep 22 at Copenhagen's airport after drones which the Danish authorities said they suspected were launched from a nearby cargo ship. Germany has reported similar instances of drones in recent months also suspecting they were being launched from ships too, among them the 'Scanlark', which was still detained in the port of Kiel as of Sep 26.

Russian military convoy shadowed during transit through waters of NATO countries

A Russian naval force consisting of four ships was close to rounding Skagen Reef on the afternoon of March 19, 2025, heading towards the Great Belt. The Royal Navy, along with NATO allies, had conducted a coordinated operation to monitor the Russian naval task group since entering the English Channel on March 16. The Type 23 frigate HMS 'Somerset', the minehunter HMS 'Cattistock' and the RFA 'Tidesurge' had participated in the monitoring operation, which began south of Portsmouth. The operation involved both naval assets and aerial surveillance, including a RAF P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. The ships were on their way back from Syria, where they have picked up military equipment that is no longer needed after the Russian-backed President Assad's regime fell in Dec 2024. The ships have been continuously shadowed by aircraft and warships from the NATO countries they have passed, a task that was taken over by units from the Danish Navy when the naval force have passed Skagen. The convoy consisted of the destroyer 'Severomorsk', the landing craft 'Aleksandr Shabalin', and the cargo ships 'Sparta IV' and 'Siyanie Severa', both of which sailing for the Russian Navy. The naval force was on its way to St. Petersburg with the 'SParta IV' having an ETA as of March 24, where equipment from Syria has previously been brought ashore. The Russians are negotiating with the new rulers in Syria for permission to continue using the strategically important naval base in Tartus. The Russians are prepared to pay for the base with Russian oil. The status of these negotiations was unknown. Report with photos: https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2025/march/19/250319-royal-navy-shadow-russian-task-group-returning-from-syria-in-the-channel

Russia continues to transport military equipment back from Syria

The 'Sparta IV' is heading to the port of Tartus to pick up military equipment left behind by the Russians after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime anid is actually destined to Port Said with an ETA as of Fe 12, 2025. The military equipment transported by Russian cargo vessels will significantly bolster the Kremlin's supplies, which the ongoing war in Ukraine has seriously depleted. On the morning of Feb 8, several Russian container ships carrying weapons taken from Syria departed the Mediterranean Sea and entered the Atlantic Ocean, traveling north along the western coast of Portugal. They were accompanied by the landing ships 'Ivan Grien' and 'Aleksandr Otrakovsky' and the tanker 'General Skobielev'. In the Atlantic, the fleet was joined by the British fast patrol boat HMS 'Cutlass', which was responsible for protecting the waters around Gibraltar. The two Russian frigates 'Admiral Grigorovich' and 'Admiral Golovko', which had been assisting Sparta and Sparta II since they left Syrian waters on Jan 27, were not seen in the Atlantic. Their absence may indicate that they have turned around and are now escorting the 'Sparta IV', and once loaded, they will probably accompany it westward to save it from the fate of the 'Ursa Major', which sank off the coast of Oran, Algeria, on Dec 23 following an explosion. For two months, the Russian Navy tanker 'Yelnya' had been stationed off the coast of Algeria, waiting for two ships, and likely refueled these on Feb 6, allowing them to reach Syria. The Russian convoy navigating the Mediterranean was under constant surveillance by NATO aircraft and drones. It was likely shadowed alternately by two nuclear-powered submarines: the American USS 'Indiana' and the British HMS 'Anson'. These submarines made several trips back and forth through the Strait of Gibraltar in Jan and Feb.