The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that cooperation with Syria is developing significantly, adding that Moscow is discussing with Damascus a “possible restructuring” of its two military bases in Syria.
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2014 raised questions about the future of Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Latakia and its naval base in Tartus, but Moscow has since established relations with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
When asked about plans to establish a logistics center in Tartus to distribute goods imported from Russia throughout Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “Russian-Syrian cooperation is developing very actively.”
She added: “Within the framework of communication with Syrian partners, the issue of the Russian military presence is also subject to discussion, including the context of a possible restructuring of the role of Russian military installations.”
Russian statements about the possibility of restructuring Russian military installations open the door to questions about the nature of this step and its strategic implications, and whether it reflects a change in the size of the Russian deployment or just a repositioning aimed at enhancing efficiency and maintaining influence in a region that is one of the most important arenas of geopolitical competition in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Dr. Basil Al-Hajj Jassim, Director of Diplomatic Relations at Politico Times, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the Russian military presence in Syria is based primarily on two main bases that form the backbone of the Russian military deployment in the country.
The first, according to the spokesperson, is the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia province, a major hub for Russian air operations and a strategic focal point for Moscow's military activities in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. The second is the naval logistics support center in Tartus, Russia's only port on the Mediterranean, which is of paramount importance as a vital base for supporting Russian naval operations and securing supplies and logistics for the Russian fleet in the region.
Hajj Jassim clarified that this proposal should not be interpreted as a direct indication of Moscow's intention to withdraw from Syrian territory.
He added that the Russian military presence is not limited to these two bases only, but also includes a group of smaller military facilities and technical and logistical support points spread across different regions, which are functionally and administratively linked to the Hmeimim and Tartus bases, and play supporting roles that contribute to enhancing the efficiency of Russian military operations and their continuity.
Regarding recent Russian statements about the potential restructuring of military installations in Syria, Haj Jassim clarified that this proposal should not be interpreted as a direct indication of Moscow's intention to withdraw from Syrian territory or abandon its military presence there. He explained that the concept of restructuring is often linked to reorganizing the size, deployment, and operational tasks of deployed forces in accordance with evolving political and security developments in Syria, as well as changing Russian military and strategic requirements.
He indicated that this process might include merging or redeploying some military units, along with reducing the presence at some secondary sites that no longer hold the same importance as in previous phases. Moscow might also move towards increasing its reliance on key strategic bases, primarily Hmeimim and Tartus, to improve the efficiency of its military and logistical resources, while simultaneously maintaining the Russian military capability necessary to protect its interests and ensure the continuation of its strategic influence in Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean.
