“Risk of incident” in the Mediterranean with Russian ships, warns Italy

MISE À DAY

The Russian navy has greatly increased its presence in the Mediterranean since the start of the war in Ukraine and has an “aggressive attitude”, leading to “a risk of an incident”, the chief of the navy warned on Thursday Italian. 

“The immediate effects on our security linked to the war in Ukraine have been identified at sea and are visible with the impressive increase in the presence of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea”, affirmed the Head of State- Major of the Italian Navy, Admiral Enrico Credendino, quoted by the agencies AGI and Ansa.

“Such a level” of presence of Russian ships “was not observed even in times of the War cold”, he underlined before the members of the Defense Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.

“The high number of Russian ships is not a direct threat to the national territory, but it increases tension and the Russians have an aggressive attitude. There is a risk of a possible incident and if that happens we don't know how it can end,” added the officer.

According to the Italian admiral, the Russian fleet has gone from “a small support ship which was present in 2015 (in the Syrian port, editor's note) in Tartous” to “fifteen ships and three submarines which were present in the Mediterranean until a few weeks ago”.

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“The Mediterranean is an area of ​​turbulence, with continuous competition between riparian states for access to economic resources and illegal activities, from smuggling to human trafficking. It must therefore be constantly monitored,” concluded Admiral Credendino.

The Mediterranean is a strategic area for Europe and NATO. 65% of the European Union's energy supply and 30% of world trade pass through it.