The Spanish Navy has monitored the transit through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea of a Russian military vessel that was escorting two merchant ships of the same nationality. The tracking has been carried out by the Zone Surveillance Patrol (PVZ) 'Tagomago', as reported this Tuesday by the Defense Staff (EMAD).
The Russian vessel is a amphibious landing unit belonging to the Baltic Fleet of the Navy of the Russian Federation. Defense has not reported any incidents during its transit nor has it identified in its official statement the two merchant ships it was escorting.
Monitoring in the Strait and the Alboran Sea
The 'Tagomago' left its base at the port of Málaga to carry out maritime surveillance tasks in the Strait and the Alboran Sea, two areas of special relevance for Spain due to their strategic position and the intensity of maritime traffic.
It was during this mission that the patrol vessel tracked the Russian landing ship and the two merchant ships it was escorting. The EMAD defines the action as an operation of "presence, surveillance, and deterrence" within the maritime spaces of sovereignty and national interest.
These operations are part of the permanent deployment of the Armed Forces. The Navy maintains units deployed 24 hours a day and 365 days a year to monitor and protect the waters and maritime communication routes considered of interest to Spain.
The mission, therefore, does not respond to an interception or an incident with the Russian vessel, according to the information disseminated by Defense, but to the monitoring of its navigation through an area under permanent surveillance.