Ukraine Thwarts Russian Federation's ‘Syrian Express’

• 3.12.2024, 8:10

Experts explain what this means.

In March 2024, Ukraine significantly affected Russia's ability to transport military cargo by sea to Syria by effectively shutting down the ‘Syrian Express’. This was made possible through the use of Ukrainian maritime drones, which posed a threat to ships that had previously travelled across the Black Sea from Novorossiysk to the Syrian port of Tartus. This is reported by Defense Express.

Therefore, the Russian Federation was forced to change the routes and increase their length several times.

In particular, already in March, Russian cargo ships, such as the Sparta IV and Ursa Major, began leaving the Baltic Sea ports instead of Novorossiysk, escorted by warships, such as the Admiral Grigorovich frigate. Thus, the arms delivery route increased from 2,500 to 9,000 kilometres, making logistics much more expensive and complicated.

Until March 2024, the ‘Syrian Express’ worked steadily, ensuring both the transport of weapons to Syria and the export of important pieces of hardware back to Russia, analysts say.

For example, the Sparta IV vessel, according to Ukrainian intelligence, made six voyages between Novorossiysk and Tartus in 2023, transporting military equipment. However, with the beginning of active use of Ukrainian maritime drones, Russia had to change the logistics chain completely.

Today, Oboronlogistics' cargo ships, such as Ursa Major and Sparta II, perform voyages between Baltic Sea ports, while Sparta IV is employed to deliver cargo to northern Russia. The prospects of restoring the usual ‘Syrian Express’ for the Kremlin now look dubious, analysts say.