Russia has no naval presence in the Mediterranean for the first time in more than a decade.

Axar.az reports, citing The Telegraph, that the Kremlin’s overstretched fleet is in a “shambles”, according to Western officials, with vessels previously stationed in the Med diverted to protect Vladimir Putin’s armada of sanctioned oil tankers.

Russia set up a permanent task force in the Mediterranean in 2013, but now Putin has been forced to pull out of the region.

A Nato official told The Telegraph: “There has been nothing there since June. That’s the first time in more than 10 years. This is pretty significant. They’re not a global navy if they’re not deployed all over the world.”

He added: “Russia clearly feels threatened. They felt threatened by a small sailing vessel in the English Channel, which they fired warning shots at. That speaks to the mindset of the Russian fleet at the moment.”