[BashBeissedat]

14:52 GMT, 10 July 2012 | The Daily Mail

Russia today dispatched six warships to its naval base in Syria in a move that is likely to spark
concern in the West.

A flotilla led by an anti-submarine destroyer have sailed from the Arctic port of Severomorsk to Tartus.

However, military sources claim the deployment is nothing to do with the growing tensions in the country
where the crackdown by government troops against opposition forces has intensified in recent weeks.



The Admiral Chabanenko and three landing craft will be joined in the Mediterranean by Russian patrol
ship Yaroslav Mudry and an assistance vessel.

'The programme of the voyage includes a call in the Syrian port of Tartus,' a military source told Interfax
news agency.

He claimed the deployment 'was not linked to the escalation of the situation in Syria.'

'In Tartus the ships will top up on supplies of fuel, water and foodstuffs,' said the source.

The flotilla is deploying in the Mediterranean, it was claimed.

The naval deployment can only buttress Russia's diplomatic muscle. Moscow is adamant that Syria should
resolve its own problems without outside interference.