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| A Russian warship sails through the Bosporus in warships are en route to the |
Kremlin chief of
staff Sergei Ivanov said Thursday that Russia
was boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea, but primarily in
order to organize a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria . He did
not say how many vessels were being sent.
The prospect of
increased Russian naval presence near Syria
has stoked fears of a larger international conflict if the United States orders airstrikes over an Aug. 21
chemical weapons attack in a suburb of Damascus ,
the Syrian capital. The U.S.
already has numerous war ships in the Mediterranean .
Two Russian
amphibious landing vessels and a reconnaissance ship have passed through the
Dardanelles strait, according to the report carried by Interfax, a privately
owned agency known for its independent contacts within Russia’s armed forces.
The agency reported
earlier that another landing ship had left the Black Sea port
of Sevastopol on Friday morning and
was to pick up a “special cargo” in Novorossiysk
before sailing toward the eastern Mediterranean .
The state RIA Novosti news agency also reported that the landing ship Nikolai
Filchenkov would be headed toward Syria
after picking up cargo in Novorossiysk ,
which it said would take several days.
The three ships
reported to have passed through the Dardanelles are the Novocherkassk
and Minsk
landing vessels and Priazovye reconnaissance ship.
The Defense
Ministry said it was unable immediately to confirm the ships’ departure.
The Foreign
Ministry issued a statement Friday, warning the U.S.
and its allies against striking any chemical weapons storage facilities in Syria .
“That would create
the threat of releasing highly toxic chemical agents, with corresponding
consequences for the civilian population and the environment,” the statement
said. “Moreover, it can’t be excluded that as a result of such a reckless
action militants or terrorists could gain access to chemical weapons. This is a
step toward proliferation of chemical weapons not only across Syrian territory
but beyond its borders.”
