The catastrophic situation in Sudan and the associated lack of any progress in harbour construction have probably led Russia to abandon its plans for an "East of Suez" presence. In any case, Moscow has declared that it has cancelled its plans to expand a Russian naval base in Port Sudan. The agreement negotiated between the Kremlin and the ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2017 came to a standstill with the outbreak of hostilities in 2023. Even though the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) control the entire north-east of the country, a massive drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the SAF naval base near Port Sudan in May showed that Russian interests cannot be effectively protected by either side in the current situation there. The loss of Tartus on the Syrian coast and the associated decline of the Russian presence in the Mediterranean, as well as the Ukraine war itself, have also deprived Russia's endeavours to expand logistical bases outside of its own naval areas of the foundations and prerequisites. This in turn frees up the few remaining resources for a resurgence of Russian presence in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic.