The Withdrawal of the Century? Moscow Declares the Sea Free of America
NYN | Reports and Analyses
Russian military reports indicate a serious strategic shift in the balance of power in the Red Sea, where the U.S. naval presence has completely disappeared from the waterway for the first time in decades.
This unprecedented absence, according to Russian sources, reflects a state of military exposure for Washington’s alliance in the face of concentrated strikes by Sana’a forces. These forces have strengthened their maritime influence for over a year and a half, imposing a new field reality that has surpassed Western expectations.
According to TopWar.ru, a Russian magazine specializing in defense affairs, the U.S. Navy has effectively withdrawn from the area after months of operations described as “costly and ineffective,” which began in January 2024 in coordination with Western partners. The withdrawal gradually unfolded under the pressure of what the magazine called “precise and painful” attacks carried out by Sana’a forces.
The magazine, citing the American agency USNI News, confirmed that there are currently no U.S. naval vessels in the Red Sea—a development it said highlights the West’s inability to contain the growing threat from Yemen.
In contrast, the activity of Sana’a forces has been escalating notably. In recent days, they reportedly sank two commercial ships in the Red Sea and launched a new missile strike on a target inside the Israeli-occupied territories.
The Russian magazine traces the roots of this escalation back to the fall of 2023, when Sana’a forces announced they would target ships linked to Israel and its supporting countries, in response to Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
This failure was not limited to the United States. The British magazine The Economist had previously acknowledged that the European Union also failed to ensure freedom of navigation, despite launching a special naval mission for that purpose.
Data indicates a 60% decrease in ship traffic along routes under Sana’a’s surveillance, reflecting the profound impact of their control over this global maritime artery.
