MOSCOW —
Russia said on Tuesday that it had dispatched a flotilla of 11 warships to the eastern Mediterranean, some of which would dock in
Syria.
It would be the largest display of Russian military power in the region
since the Syrian conflict began almost 17 months ago. Nearly half of
the ships were capable of carrying hundreds of marines.
The announcement appeared intended to punctuate Russia’s effort to
position itself as an increasingly decisive broker in resolving the
antigovernment uprising in Syria, Russia’s last ally in the Middle East
and home to Tartus, its only foreign military base outside the former
Soviet Union. The announcement also came a day after Russia said it was
halting new shipments of weapons to the Syrian military until the
conflict settled down.