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| Russian submarines in the Mediterranean port of Tartus, Syria | Photo: AFP |
Russia's navy is struggling to maintain its balance of power in the Mediterranean, as highlighted by a fire aboard one of its spy ships near the Syrian coast last Thursday. Analysts and Western security agencies suggest that this incident has exposed vulnerabilities in Russia's naval operations.
The affected vessel, Kildin, is a 55-year-old ship. When the fire broke out, flames and thick black smoke poured from its chimney. Two black balls were hoisted on the ship’s mast, a signal experts say indicates the crew had lost control.
A nearby vessel, Mila Moon, flagged under Togo received a distress message from Kildin, warning that it was unable to maneuver and instructing Mila Moon to stay at least two kilometers away.
Despite the fire, Kildin's crew did not call for assistance. Instead, they gathered at the rear deck, deploying lifeboats while battling the flames for five hours. Eventually, they managed to restart the engines and resume sailing.
According to Western intelligence, Kildin was stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, monitoring developments in Syria following the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia had controlled Syria’s Tartus port for years, but since Assad’s fall in December, it has been withdrawing equipment from the area.
Recurring Issues in the Russian Navy
Two months ago, a Russian missile frigate, Admiral Gorshkov, also caught fire in the region. Following Kildin's fire, Western sources argue that these incidents reflect the declining state of Russia’s Mediterranean fleet.
On the same day, Kildin was in distress, and two other Russian naval vessels, the landing ships Ivan Gren and Alexander Otrakovsky, also briefly lost control, further highlighting operational instability.
Michael Kofman, a military expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that maintenance and readiness have long been challenges for the Russian navy. “Fires on Russian warships are not uncommon,” he said. “Russia is paying the price for relying on aging vessels.”
Strategic Challenges in Syria
If Syria’s new ruling group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), restricts Russia’s access to the Tartus port, Moscow could face significant logistical difficulties. Currently, Russian forces still operate in Tartus and Khmeimim airbase, but their long-term presence remains uncertain.
HTS recently canceled a 2019 agreement that granted a Russian company control over Tartus’ commercial port. Siddharth Kaushal, a senior naval researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, believes this is a bad omen for Russia’s naval presence in Syria.
“The loss of Tartus will turn Russia’s naval challenges into a crisis,” Kaushal said. He explained that the Russian navy was never rebuilt sustainably after the Cold War. Instead, it focused on producing small, missile-heavy vessels suited for coastal defense. However, deploying such ships to distant waters only exacerbates maintenance problems.