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Russia May Be Smuggling Its Weapons From Syria to Ukraine Frontlines Through English Channel
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![Vlad Litnarovych]( "Vlad Litnarovych")
This week, the British Royal Navy tracked the movement of a Russian military and cargo convoy through the English Channel, which may be transporting both evacuated equipment from Syria and weaponry bound for the front lines in Ukraine, according to UK OSINT analysts UK Forces Tracker and Navylookout on March 18.
Between the night of March 15 and 16, the Belgian Navy’s patrol vessel Castor detected the Russian destroyer Severomorsk in the North Sea.
By Sunday, the Royal Navy’s support ship Tidesurge was shadowing Severomorsk as it moved through the English Channel toward the Atlantic Ocean, where it rendezvoused with a convoy returning from Syria.
The convoy was accompanied by the Russian landing ship Alexander Shabalin, while the cargo vessel Maia-1—a 138-meter ship sanctioned for transporting artillery shells from North Korea—was seen carrying large, partially covered cargo.
The Maia-1 was traveling behind the Sparta IV and Siyanie Severa, both of which Western intelligence suspects of transporting military equipment from Syria.
This convoy is one of the largest groups of Russian vessels tracked in British and French territorial waters since the start of the war in Ukraine. Notably, the Kremlin sent a vessel directly linked to North Korean arms shipments through the English Channel.
In January 2024, the Maia-1 was documented departing North Korea with a shipment bound for St. Petersburg.
“Despite sanctions, Maia-1 was able to dock in a Chinese port for loading, gain clearance to enter Vietnam, transit the Suez Canal, refuel in Algeria, and pass through the English Channel unimpeded. If a vessel like this can freely access ports and services worldwide, it poses a serious challenge to Western sanctions,” said Hamish Macdonald, a maritime analyst with the Open Source Centre.
The removal of Russian weapons from Syria began after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.
Since January, Russian forces have been withdrawing equipment and containerized cargo from their naval base in Tartus. Moscow is now negotiating a revised military agreement with Syria’s new leadership.
Earlier, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned a Russian Su-35 fighter jet for “aggressive” and “unacceptable” actions near a French MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Mediterranean Sea.
