Russian Navy Ships in 2021. Kremlin Photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conviction that a “world power needs a great navy” goes a long way in explaining Russia’s growing naval presence and operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and along the African coast, a senior American intelligence officer said Thursday.
Christopher Bort, a specialist for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council, said that since 2013 Putin has placed more emphasis on its naval presence — first in Syria,...