GETTY The move comes at a time of heightened tension between Vladimir Putin's Russia and the West

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Moscow is reported to be in discussions with leaders in the East African country with a view to building a 1,500 man-base which would offer support to warships and submarines patrolling the volatile stretch of sea, which is used to traffic huge quantities of goods to and from Europe.



Somali media outlet Qarannews claims Russia is ready to officially recognise Somaliland, which unilaterally declared independence from neighbouring Somalia in 1991, as a nation in its own right, in return for permission to build the base.



The plan would see service destroyers, frigates and submarines operating out of the facility.



Russia has been expanding its Black Sea fleet for a decade, facilitated in part by securing a base in Crimea following its annexation of the former Ukraine region in 2014.

AFP/Getty Images Russian military exercises in the Crimea indicate the power of Putin's expanded navy

It has also reestablished a base in the Syrian port of Tartus, largely as a result of cooperation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom Putin is backing in the ongoing civil war.



The move comes as Russian Foreign Minister acknowledged parallels with the political climate of the Cold War, with relations strained in the wake of the strikes by the United States, France and the UK on sites in Syria believed to be linked to the chemical attacks on Douma.



Last December, Mr Putin signed an agreement which allows Russia to expand operations at Tartus, Moscow's only base in the Mediterranean.



Prior to the air strikes, a British submarine was reportedly trapped in a game of "cat-and mouse" by Russian hunter-killer subs, thought to be based in Tartus.

Reuters Somaliland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Saad Ali Shire meets Russian diplomat Yury Kourchako

The Horn of Africa is strategically important for a number of reasons. Dr Andrew Foxall, director of the Russia and Eurasia Studies Centre

A pair of Russian frigates and an anti-submarine aircraft were believed to have been hunting for HMS Astute as it moved into position to ensure Tomahawk cruise missiles were within range of Assad's chemical sites.



The Royal Navy opened a new base, HMS Jufair, in the Bahrain – the UK’s first new overseas port in 50 years.



Dr Andrew Foxall, director of the Russia and Eurasia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, said: “The Horn of Africa is strategically important for a number of reasons, not least because it allows both power projection into the Middle East and influence over the Suez Canal through the Gulf of Aden.



“The US and China both have military facilities in Djibouti, and it should come as no surprise that Russia would want facilities there too.