For the previous two years, Russians transported weapons relatively freely through the Bosphorus, but now this route has stopped working.
Russia has probably refused to transfer weapons from Syria to its Black Sea ports. This is reported by the Crimean Wind monitoring group.
It is noted that previously the Russians used several civilian ships to deliver military cargo through the Turkish straits. But now the transport ships SPARTA IV, URSA MAJOR and YAZB, which were part of this so-called “Syrian Express”, have headed for St. Petersburg and are leaving the Mediterranean Sea.
At the same time, the ships BALTIC LEADER and LADY MARIIA, which observers also included in the Syrian Express, remain in the region. On February 24-25, they were able to pass through the Bosporus into the Black Sea, but did not enter neutral waters, but moved eastward in Turkish territorial waters. On February 29, both ships entered the Turkish port of Unye (the center of the northern coast of Turkey).
“Presumably, Turkey, two years after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, began to react to secret transportation of weapons. There were no official messages from the Turkish authorities on this matter,” notes Crimean Wind.
Russian-Turkish relations: latest news
As wrote, in recent days Turkey has stopped allowing Russian cargo ships with weapons and stolen Ukrainian grain through the Bosphorus. There have been at least several recorded cases where Russians had to turn their ships around and sail back to their port of departure.
We also reported that Turkey has sharply reduced trade with Russia, likely due to the threat of secondary sanctions from the United States. Turkish banks have stopped servicing transactions with Russian companies, although Turkey was previously one of the main routes for circumventing sanctions.
