Russian warships are on route to Syrian territorial waters in a move that sends a clear message from Moscow that they would not allow any foreign intervention into Syria’s civil unrest.

Syria’s President Bashar al Assad, a close ally of Russia’s, has been violently cracking down on mass Syrian protests against his rule. Over 3,000 citizens have been killed by security forces, according to rights groups, and some soldiers have begun to defect, launching small operations against Assad’s forces.

Russia claims Syria’s trouble is a civil war and advocates against foreign intervention, despite it’s own interventions in the form of economic aid and diplomatic bolstering of Assad’s regime.

NATO spokespeople have so far denied any intention to intervene in Syria.

On Friday, though, a Syrian official said Damascus has agreed “in principle” to allow an Arab League observer mission into the country after the Arab League proposed sending hundreds of observers to help end the bloodshed, for which they suspended Syria earlier this week.  Still, the Assad regime is likely to continue resisting intervention on Syrian soil.