Russia Deploys 3 Further Battleships in Mediterranean

The Russian advanced intelligence naval ship Priazovye (SSV-201) passes the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, 05 Sept 2013. Reports state that the ship is capable of intercepting messages from NATO and Arab allies to rebels in Cyprus, Syria and Turkey. EPA/B

Three Russian military ships have newly entered the Mediterranean amid growing international tensions regarding the civil war in Syria.

The amphibious assault ships Novocherkassk and Minsk, as well as the reconnaissance ship Priazovye are reported to have crossed the Bosphorus Thursday.

The ships - from Russia's Black Sea and Baltic Sea fleets - have all come from Russia's Black Sea port of Novorosiysk.

Earlier this week, agencies reported that Russia's large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev has arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean from Vladovostok in the Far East.

"Whereas Novocherkassk and Minsk were dispatched for the Mediterranean in the rotation framework of Russia's permanent naval force there, the Priazovye was dispatched to the region to step up reconnaissance efforts near the Syrian coast in keeping with General Staff plans," a Russian General Staff source told ITAR-TASS.

"The number of ships in the Mediterranean involved in monitoring and covering the situation in areas near Syria will be increased somewhat. This is standard practice to follow in case of soaring tensions. The situation around Syria will be monitored comprehensively," added the source.

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