Russia’s navy says its warships will visit Libya and other Mediterranean countries en route to Venezuela.

A nuclear-powered missile cruiser and several accompanying ships will sail through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean on Sunday.

Navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said in a statement Wednesday the Russian ships will call at the Libyan port of Tripoli and also visit several other unspecified Mediterranean ports before heading to Venezuela.

Russian news reports have said the squadron was expected to visit a Syrian port.

The Kremlin sent a pair of strategic bombers on a weeklong visit to Venezuela last month amid increasingly strained relations with Washington after last month’s war between Russia and Georgia.