Key facts
- Russia's foreign ministry confirmed active cooperation with Syria.
- Discussions are underway with Damascus regarding the 'reformatting' of Russian military facilities.
- The Tartous naval base serves as Russia's sole repair and resupply hub in the Mediterranean.
- Hmeimim airbase is a key staging point for Russian operations in Africa.
- Russia intervened in Syria in 2015 to support the Assad government.
Russia's foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that cooperation with Syria is progressing very actively, with Moscow engaged in discussions with Damascus about a potential 'reformatting' of its military facilities in the country. This development follows questions raised about the future of Russia's Hmeimim airbase and Tartous naval facility after the December 2024 ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a key Russian ally. Moscow has since established relations with Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now Syria's president.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated, 'Within the framework of contacts with Syrian partners, the issue of Russia's military presence in Syria is also being discussed, including in the context of a possible reformatting of the functionality of Russian military facilities.' This was in response to inquiries about reported plans to create a logistics hub in Tartous for distributing Russian imports across Syria.
The Russian bases in Syria are considered crucial to its global military presence. The Tartous naval base functions as Russia's only repair and resupply hub in the Mediterranean, while the Hmeimim airbase serves as a significant staging post for military and mercenary activities in Africa. Russia initially intervened militarily in Syria in 2015 to support Assad during the civil war. Previous reports indicated that Russia was withdrawing some forces from front lines in northern Syria and from posts in mountainous regions, but intended to maintain its presence at the Hmeimim and Tartous bases.