Special to WorldTribune.com
Moscow has deployed a new patrol ship armed with long-range cruise missiles to Syria.
![Russian patrol ship Zelyony Dol.](https://www.worldtribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/DSC_1715-550x390-300x213.jpg)
The Zelyony Dol, which had just joined the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet in December, departed for the Mediterranean on Feb. 13, the navy said in a statement.
“The goals of the ship are not public but considering that it is carrying long-range cruise missiles, its participation in the military operation (in Syria) should not be excluded,” a source told RIA Novosti.
Built in 2015, the Zelyony Dol last week took part in a major naval landing exercise which focused on “holding the coast” while landing troops. The ship is armed with Kalibr long-range cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Feb. 13 warned against any ground intervention in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition.
“Don’t threaten anyone with a ground operation,” Medvedev said in Munich in a speech that lashed out at the West and talked of a “new Cold War.”