Special to WorldTribune.com

MOSCOW — Russia has expanded its naval task force near Syria.

The Russian Navy said it added a destroyer vessel to the task force in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Navy said the Udaloy-class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov was housing the command of the task force, deployed to protect Syria from an attack from the sea.

“The task force’s command was previously based on board the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser and the Admiral Levchenko destroyer, which have already fulfilled their objectives as part of the task force,” Russian Navy spokesman Capt. Vadim Serga said.

In a statement on May 7, Serga said Kulakov, a member of the Northern Fleet, would be deployed on a permanent basis with the task force. The task force, formed in 2013, consists of about a dozen warships and supply vessels.

Western diplomatic sources said the Russian Navy task force helped
protect the Syrian coast from infiltration by Sunni rebels. They said the
task force also kept away Western warships and submarines during the
three-year-old Sunni revolt against President Bashar Assad.

Russia has been deemed the leading military ally of Syria. The Kremlin
has approved the export of helicopter upgrades, air defense systems,
unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles to Assad’s military.

  Capt. Vadim Serga, Mediterranean, Moscow adds destroyer to Mediterranean naval task force, Vice Admiral Kulakov