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Cargo vessel sent to transport Russian military equipment from Syria breaks down in open sea, Ukraine's intel claims

by Boldizsar Gyori December 23, 2024 12:21 PM 2 min read
The Sparta III cargo vessel (now the Russian-flagged Ursa Major). (HUR/Telegram)
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The cargo vessel Sparta sent to Syria to bring out Russian military equipment broke down in the open sea and now drifts near the shore of Portugal, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) claimed in a post on Dec. 23.

Concurrently, marine traffic monitors show a Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III and visually matching the picture published by HUR, moving at a very low speed of little over 1 knot in the open sea between Spain and Algeria.

"The cargo ship Sparta, which Russia sent to transport its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down during movement. A fuel pipe of the main engine failed," Ukraine's military intelligence claimed.

"The Russian crew is trying to fix the problem and (the ship) is drifting in the open sea near Portugal."

Marine traffic monitors show the Ursa Major sailing under the Russian flag and previously making port calls in St. Petersburg.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify whether the vessel was sent to Syria to transport Russian military equipment as HUR claims.

Russia, the main backer of the recently ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, began evacuating its military stationed in its bases in Syria.  According to HUR, Russian military assets in Syria are now limited to two bases: the airbase in Khmeimim and the naval base in Tartus.

In an earlier statement, the agency claimed that losing the Tartus and Khmeimim bases would significantly damage Russia's presence in the Middle East and solidify its defeat in the region.

According to the agency, the victorious rebel leadership is negotiating with the Kremlin to close their remaining bases in the country no later than February 2025.

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As Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed in a matter of days, Russia’s influence in the Middle East appeared to wane. Preoccupied with its all-out war against Ukraine, Russia was unable to prevent the Dec. 8 downfall of its main ally in the region. The stunning rapidity of the rebels’

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