Russian warships cross Turkish straits 62 times

Cengizhan Çatal ANKARA - Hürriyet

DHA photo

Russian warships have crossed the Bosphorus Strait 62 times since the beginning of this year. Landing ship Kaliningrad used the strait 11 times, amid the high tension in the eastern Mediterranean, while another landing ship, the Azov, crossed eight times. Russian missile cruiser Moskva crossed the Bosphorus six times, while the Peresvet amphibious warfare ship crossed as recently as Sept. 25.

Russia, a key ally of Damascus, has kept a constant presence in the eastern Mediterranean throughout the Syrian crisis, rotating its ships every few months.