Russian army using civilian vessels for military purposes - expert

Andrii Klymenko, the head of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, said this during a round table meeting at the Military Media Center, Ukrinform reports.

"Formally, these are civilian vessels that transport military goods. One element of the Syrian traffic is auxiliary ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and another is formally civilian ships registered to civilian companies that transported military equipment and weapons to Syria. That is, they used civilian vessels for military purposes," Klymenko said.

He said that the well-known SIG tanker, which was damaged several days ago near the Kerch Strait, was carrying oil products and fuel for a Russian Navy fleet, which is based in a Syrian port.

Klymenko noted that when the Kerch Strait Bridge began to function in May 2018, maritime transportation lost its meaning for Russia. They transported everything they needed by road and then by rail, when the railway part of the bridge opened. At the same time, the Russians used the Black Sea to export stolen Ukrainian grain and transport military cargo to Syria.

"Ports in Crimea have actually ceased to be used for sea transportation, with a few interesting exceptions. First, it was a grain fleet. That is, they took stolen Ukrainian grain mainly to Syria. The second component is the transportation of military cargo from Crimean ports to the Syrian contingent of Russian troops," Klymenko said.

Photo: Nazar Voloshyn / armyinform.com.ua