🇷🇺🪖⚡️ — Russia's naval presence in the Mediterranean has declined significantly, with no Russian warships operating in the region for roughly two months until early September, marking the first such absence since 2016, according to Breaking Defense, citing a NATO official. The decline is attributed to Russia's loss of access to its naval base at Tartus in Syria, shortages of support vessels, Turkish restrictions on warship movements through the Black Sea straits, and the diversion of warships to escort Russian merchant vessels, including its shadow fleet. Russian warships returned to the Mediterranean in September, and experts caution that Moscow retains the capability and strategic interest to maintain a naval presence there.