Thanks to these crucial installations, Moscow exercises its influence in the Middle East, in the Mediterranean basin and as far as Africa.
Satellite image of the Russian base in Tartous, December 3, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC / -)
The fate of the two Russian bases in Russia, the very strategic Tartous and Hmeimim, has not yet been decided, assured Monday December 16 the Kremlin, which is trying to maintain them, despite the flight of its ally, former President Bashar al-Assad, overthrown by rebels Russia was helping him fight.
“There is no final decision on this matter,
We are in contact with representatives of the forces currently controlling the situation in the country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing.
Moscow has two military bases in Syria, the naval base of Tartous and the military airfield of Hmeimim. These are key infrastructures for Russia's geopolitical ambitions which, thanks to these installations,
exerts its influence in the Middle East, in the Mediterranean basin and as far as Africa.
Hard blow to Russian ambitions
The flight of Bashar al-Assad dealt a heavy blow to Russia's ambitions, especially as
it also illustrates the weakening of its regional ally, Iran.
Furthermore, Moscow is completely consumed by its assault on Ukraine, which is soon entering its third year, mobilizing most of the country's military resources.
Russian diplomacy also announced on Sunday that it had repatriated part of the Russian diplomatic staff to Damascus.
Russia has been heavily criticized for its military intervention in Syria starting in 2015 to save Bashar al-Assad. She participated in
the brutal repression of the rebels, notably by carrying out devastating airstrikes
.
Finally, following a dazzling offensive, the rebel coalition dominated by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad in early December, who took refuge in Russia with his family.
