Russia’s so-called naval base at the Syrian port of Tartus is receiving growing Western media attention amid reports that Moscow has dispatched eleven warships to the eastern Mediterranean Sea for exercises—and that some of the ships will visit Tartus. While some mainstream news organizations, such as The New York Times, have characterized the base as “little more than a floating refueling station and some small barracks,” others argue that a recent dredging program has prepared the harbor to accommodate the Admiral Kuznetsov, a Russian aircraft carrier, and suggest that one aim of the naval mission could be to protect Tartus. What’s going on?
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