Russian naval ships moved away from their long-time base in Tartous Syria positioning themselves about 8 miles off-shore (which happened just yesterday). Satellite pictures showed two guided-missile frigates and an oiler anchored in the Mediterranean waters - while other vessels whereabouts remain unclear
The re-positioning comes right after Syrian rebels quick-attack on Damascus that ended both the 13-year civil war and the half-century control of the country by a single family. Bashar al-Assad left for Russia as rebels took control of the capital city just this sunday
Moscowʼs military presence in Syria includes two key spots: the Tartous naval facility and an air-base in Latakia. The Mediterranean repair hub at Tartous helps Russia move its military workers to-and-from African locations; now Moscow needs to make deals with the new power-holders to keep these bases
Earlier this week (around Dec 5th) the base had six ships including one sub-marine. War-blogger reports matched the satellite data showing that between Dec 6th and 9th all vessels moved off-shore for safety reasons. The defense ministry in Moscow didnt give any comments about this situation