US sources said on June 1 that a cargo ship that departed St. Petersburg in
March arrived at Syria’s Tartus port in May carrying military equipment bound
for Russia’s Hmeimim air base. US imagery providers Maxar and Planet Labs showed
the vessel Sparta loading in St. Petersburg in March, sailing along the European
coast and arriving at Tartus on May 11. US officials said Russian navy ships
escorted Sparta through the Mediterranean. Syria’s transition government, US
Central Command and the Russian Defense Ministry declined to comment. US sources
said this was the first resupply to Hmeimim since a regime change in Syria in
December 2024.
