The Maltese authorities are aware of only one Russian military vessel in the central Mediterranean and there are “absolutely no unusual movements” in a heavily guarded region.

The Russian frigate is far from Maltese waters and was recently located in the Adriatic between Italy and Albania, according to military sources who spoke to Times of Malta, a day after an Italian commander spoke of the Russian presence in the Mediterranean.

There are aircraft carriers, vessels, submarines and aircraft closely monitoring any movement of such vessels- Source

Russia’s assets, especially its military might, have come under unprecedented scrutiny after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last February.

Any Russian vessels are being closely monitored by the so-called Standing NATO Maritime Group, which acts like a maritime immediate reaction force for the alliance as well as states which have specific interest in the Ukraine-Russian conflict.

“There are aircraft carriers, vessels, submarines and aircraft closely monitoring any movement of such vessels. They never let them out of their sight,” a source said.

However, there are other Russian vessels, possibly oil suppliers or carrying merchandise, which could be operating in the Mediterranean.

Malta banks on US, UK military intelligence

Other sources said Malta could also bank on the military intelligence of the US and UK, with which it has “excellent relations”, should there be any unusual or surprise manoeuvres. Malta and Cyprus are the only two EU Mediterranean states which are not NATO members.

The issue of the Kremlin’s military vessels in the Mediterranean was sparked on Wednesday by Aurelio De Carolis, commander-in-chief of the Italian naval squadron, when he was reported “confirming” the presence of Russian ships in the Mediterranean, which he said were being closely supervised and monitored.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war last February, the Slava-class cruiser Varyag, designed mainly for anti-ship combat, had been sighted, the Italian commander said.

Last June, the Italian chief of the naval staff, Enrico Credendino, spoke of a progressive increase of the Russian presence in the Mediterranean which at the time saw 18 Russian ships and two submarines.

Malta was in the crosshairs of the Kremlin in 2016 when the Maltese government stopped a Russian ship from berthing to refuel off the island, amid growing opposition to Russia’s involvement in the Syrian war.

In reaction, Russia had accused Malta of falling victim to the West’s information war.