Several large landing ships from the Northern and Baltic Fleets visited the Syrian port of Tartus as part of Russian maritime maneuvers, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

The ministry stated that a group of Northern Baltic Fleet landing ships consisting of six large landing ships which have completed the transitional phase across Europe, reaching the eastern part of the Mediterranean, as part of the Russian naval maneuvers conducted under the general command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov.

According to the ministry, the ships are currently docked in the Syrian port of Tartus, where they began to restock fuel, drinking water, food supplies, and lubricants, in accordance with the required standards at the Russian Navy's logistics point in the Mediterranean.

The Russian Navy will perform a series of drills in the Mediterranean, the North, and Okhotsk seas, and the northeastern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, according to the ministry.

The Russian Defense Ministry has previously said that the Russian Navy would conduct exercises in January and February involving over 140 ships and over 10,000 military troops.

The exercises will take place in the seas that border Russian territory as well as operationally significant portions of the worldwide ocean. Separate maneuvers will take place in the Mediterranean, North, and Okhotsk seas, as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans' northeastern regions.

On January 22, 2020, Russia conducted naval drills in the Baltic Sea to deter a hypothetical attack, as well as exercises to deter an attack by a hypothetical enemy sabotage group on a sensitive facility of the Baltic Fleet's military corps.

The Russian naval exercises take place at a time when Russia's relations with Western countries and the US are strained over Ukraine.

Russia, Iran, and China recently concluded joint Maritime Security Belt exercises in the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Oman, intending to improve readiness and cooperation among the participating nations' navies.