Two Russian ships docked at Syria’s main Mediterranean port last week, in what appears to be part of a large-scale withdrawal of equipment. The loss of access to the port has left Russia’s navy adrift – not to mention Moscow’s entire Middle East strategy.

Russia has stepped up its military withdrawal from Syria, removing vehicles and containers from its key Tartous port on the country's Mediterranean coast, analysis by BBC Verify suggests. After the fall of the Assad regime in December,

By bnm Gulf bureau Russian forces have begun withdrawing from Syria, with two cargo vessels, the Sparta II and Sparta, departing from the port of Tartus on January 30, carrying significant military equipment.