A cargo vessel, Sparta, sent by Russia to evacuate its military equipment and weaponry from Syria, has broken down on the way and the Russian crew is adrift in the open waters near Portugal. Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) Quote: "The cargo vessel Sparta,

Concurrently, marine traffic monitors show a Vladivostok-bound cargo ship, Ursa Major, previously registered as Sparta III and visually matching the picture published by HUR, moving at a very low speed of little over 1 knot in the open sea between Spain and Algeria.

The cargo ship Sparta, which Russia sent to evacuate its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down along the way. — Ukrinform.

Russia has begun withdrawing a large amount of military equipment and troops from Syria following the ouster of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, according to two US officials and a western official familiar with the intelligence.

The images show new activity at the Hmeimim Air Base over the past few days as Russia's military footprint in Syria remains in limbo.

Russian troops were loading a truck at the entrance to the port they control in the Syrian city of Tartus on Monday, while Islamist fighters manned a nearby checkpoint.There Russian troops could be seen on Monday sand and rubble into a truck at their first checkpoint.

Israel said it had wiped out the vast majority of the Syrian military's assets, including huge chunks of its air-defense network.

The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule.

Russia’s intervention on behalf of former Syrian leader Bashar Assad once turned the tide of Syria's civil war

The target was apparently a weapons depot, with the explosion so large it caused seismic equipment to log 3 on the Richter scale

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted today that his country is still exploring its options for retaining a pair of bases in Syria that have uniquely strategic value following the fall of longtime ally Bashar Al Assad.

What's New?Two of Vladimir Putin's key allies in Africa are pushing back against the presence of Russian forces in their countries, further threatening Moscow's foothold on the continent following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.