For The First Time In More Than A Decade, The Russian Navy Was Absent From The Mediterranean Sea For Two Months
- 25.10.2026, 9:46
There are many reasons for this lack.
For the first time in more than a decade, there were no Russian Navy ships in the Mediterranean Sea for two months this year. This was reported by Breaking Defense, citing a NATO spokesperson.
According to the official, there was no Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea from early July through early September.
The publication’s source claims that the last time there was a complete absence of Russian Navy ships in the region was in 2016. According to other estimates, this is the first time such a situation has occurred since 2013.
A NATO spokesperson and two analysts explained that there are many reasons for this absence: ranging from the loss of access to a key base in the Mediterranean to the need to protect shadow fleet vessels in other regions.
At the same time, the Russian Navy currently lacks a sufficiently powerful fleet of tankers and support vessels necessary to sustain a significant number of deployed forces over the long term. A NATO official explained:
“For example, the Russian Navy constantly stations frigates in the English Channel. To support them, it relies on an ‘Amur’-class repair ship, designed to deliver spare parts or repair ships, not to replenish supplies. Therefore, they have to transfer cargo ship-to-ship, which is truly dangerous.”
Basil Germon, a professor of international security at Lancaster University , agreed that Russia’s limited surface combatant fleet is increasingly being reoriented toward protecting strategically important merchant ships. At the same time, he cautioned against concluding that Russia will completely abandon critical sea lanes in the Mediterranean Sea.
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