The Russian flotilla is still there, off the coast of Ogliastra. The cargo ship Sparta IV, the destroyer Severomorsk, and the oil tanker Kama have been performing strange maneuvers in international waters since Monday evening, while the first ship has been circling between two points off Capo Monte Santo and Tortolì, for no apparent reason.

The only traceable vessel (with its transponder turned on) is the Sparta IV, whose movements were reported in the Mediterranean—first off Sicily, then toward the Balearic Islands, and finally off Sardinia—by the Itamilradar website. The flotilla continues its course from north to south, traveling between 10 and 11 knots. Its presence in the central Tyrrhenian Sea and its unusual sailing behavior could be explained, according to some theories, by the ship seeking shelter from the harsh weather and sea conditions present in the Sardinia Channel, with rough seas and winds between 20 and 25 knots. The same conditions are encountered near Gibraltar: the flotilla must cross the Strait to reach, via the Atlantic, the port of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea in Russia, where it is expected on February 17. However, some analysts have ruled out bad weather: had the ships sought shelter, they might have traveled less far north. And above all, even if the conditions of the Sparta IV are not excellent, to the west of the island there are numerous vessels sailing that are not suffering problems from the sea conditions.

The flotilla's movements are constantly monitored by naval units of the Italian Navy, and an ATR of the Guardia di Finanza also operated in the area.

(Unioneonline)

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