The Russian flotilla, after having stationed for almost a week off the eastern coast of Sardinia, has left the central Tyrrhenian Sea .
The cargo ship Sparta IV, the tanker Kama and the Navy destroyer Severomorsk are headed for the Sardinia Channel, then the Strait of Gibraltar, after which they will reach the Atlantic and from there, northwards, the Baltic Sea and the port of Kaliningrad, in Russia, where the Sparta IV is expected on 17 February .
The movements, all in international waters, off the Ogliastra and Gulf of Orosei, were constantly monitored by the Italian Navy and several military aircraft. This monitoring continues remotely. The specialized website Itamilradar has been tracking all the flotilla's movements and Italian monitoring activities over the past few days.
The reason for the unusual maneuvers of recent days remains a mystery. Among the hypotheses are the search for shelter from the harsh weather conditions in the Mediterranean between the Sardinia Channel and the Balearic Islands and in the Atlantic. But it's also been suggested that they were a test of NATO and Italy's response .
(Unioneonline)