Revealed: What Russian Troops Are Doing in Syria After Rebel Victory
- 15.12.2024, 12:32
A column of Russian military vehicles was spotted near the entrance to the Khmeimim airbase.
Russia has begun withdrawing troops from the former front line in northern Syria and from posts in the Jabal al-Nusariya mountains under the watchful eye of the rebels. At the same time, the Russians are not yet leaving their two main bases on the Mediterranean coast, Reuters and the British TV channel Sky News reported.
"All we know at the moment is that Russian convoys are leaving bases all over Syria and heading to the Mediterranean coast," said British journalist Stuart Ramsay of the Sky News channel.
“On a dusty road near the main Russian entrance to the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia, I saw a column of Russian military vehicles… They were armored combat vehicles, armored personnel carriers, armored police trucks and supply trucks, some of which were marked with the letter “Z,” the journalist said.
The presence of Russians in Syria, who fought in the civil war on the side of the ousted Bashar al-Assad, remains an open question for now. Russia has two military bases in Syria in Latakia province — the Khmeimim airbase and a naval base in Tartus.
Satellite footage taken on Friday showed at least two Antonov An-124 aircraft, among the world’s largest cargo planes, at the Khmeimim airbase, apparently preparing to be loaded. At least one of the aircraft flew to Libya on Saturday, a Syrian official overseeing the base told Reuters.
According to Syrian sources, Russia is withdrawing some heavy equipment and officers but has no plans to abandon its bases yet. The goal is to regroup in response to a rebel victory in the country.
Syrian rebels control the approaches to Russian bases.
However, on Wednesday, the British television channel BBC reported that several warships had left the Russian naval base in Tartus.
The base was created on the basis of an agreement signed by the Soviet Union with then-Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad (father of Bashar al-Assad) in 1971 – during the Cold War, when the Soviet Navy was forced to abandon its bases in Egypt.
No talks yet?
A senior official close to the new interim government in Syria told Reuters that the presence of Russian troops in Syria and previous agreements between the Assad government and Russia are not currently being discussed.
“This is a matter of future negotiations, and the final decision will be made by the Syrian people,” the official said. “Our forces are also now in close proximity to Russian bases in Latakia.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has announced in recent days that Russia is, after all, negotiating with the new Syrian authorities regarding the bases.