Russia’s Key Military Bases in Syria and Why They Matter for Moscow

On December 8, Syrian opposition forces announced the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad following their capture of Damascus, ending over five decades of authoritarian rule. 

Since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, Russia backed Syria and Bashar al-Assad’s regime, providing a diplomatic shield for Damascus in the UN Security Council, launching their involvement in 2015 after Bashar al-Assad requested military support. 

Russia’s defense ministry said that 63,000 Russian military personnel had "received combat experience" in Syria since September 2015, including 25,738 ranking officers and 434 generals as well as 4,349 artillery and rocket specialists. 

Russia dramatically reduced its troops after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and by autumn 2024, it's estimated that only around 7,500 remained. 

In return for military assistance, the Syrian regime awarded Russia 49-year leases on two bases that became key to Russian forces: the Hmeimim air base and the naval base in Tartus. 

Russia has had several other bases in Syria, two for S-400 air defense systems, and Manbij and Kobane. Manbij was previously a US base which Russia took over when they abandoned it in 2019. Russia used Kobane to monitor the ceasefire agreement with Turkey. 

The two most vital for Russia are Tartus and Hmeimim. Both have high strategic importance for Russia, and losing them may cause Moscow problems in its global presence.

Tartus naval base

Russia built the Cold War-era Tartus base in 1977. It was largely idle until Russia intervened in the Syrian war in 2015. It was the final stop for dozens of civilian and military ships coming from the Black Sea port, also known as the “Syrian Express.” 

According to reports, the port has mooring capacity for 11 vessels, including nuclear-powered ships. Kalibr cruise missiles were fired at Syrian targets from several diesel-electric submarines that came in and out of the port. 

Russia deployed S-300 and S-400 air defense missile systems and Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems at the base and in 2017, Russia expanded the base. 

Tartus provided Russia with a permanent presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and was an essential point for weapons shipments. Analysts from Emerging Europe, a policy and management advisory firm, noted that this base is more geostrategically crucial than ever for the Kremlin. 

The loss of this base would make Russia vulnerable in the war in Ukraine as warships need regular access to ports for maintenance and supplies. 

Ukrainian drones have made the Black Sea dangerous for the Russian Navy. Their warships no longer have safe access to their Black Sea bases after a barrage of drones and long-rage weapon attacks from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 

Russian state media also confirmed that the Russian navy was able to “keep track at a close distance, US and NATO assault ships and submarines in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea,” making this port an essential tool for their geopolitical gain.

In July 2024, Russia’s state media reported that Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov, armed with the Tsirkon hypersonic missiles would stop at Tartus port to hold drills. 

Turkey has invoked the Montreux Convention of 1936  which means they can deny access to warships through the Bosphorus Strait between Black Sea coastal states in times of war. According to reports, Turkey had blocked some of Russia’s warships from passing when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. 

Without access to its Syrian naval base and with the Bosphorus Strait closed, Emerging Europe notes that Russia’s ability to sustain a military-maritime presence is severely under pressure. 

Hmeimim air base

Hmeimim Air Base, located in Latakia province, was built on the site of Syrian airport in 2015 and its 49-year lease was signed in 2017. The base mainly hosted fighter jets, helicopters, and cargo planes. 

Reports state that at various points, Russia has stationed Sukhoi Su-25 jets, Pantsir-S2 missile system, Russian Navy Su-33s, MiG-29K, Su-34s, Su-35s, and Su-24s at the base. 

Hmeimim has been reffered to as “a state within a state.” Syrian indicator, a monitoring group, estimated that the reconstruction of Hmeimim cost Moscow around $14.2 million dollars.Russia used the Hmeimim base not only to strike Syria, but to support their mercenaries in Ukraine, Libya, the Central African Republic, and Sudan. 

Hmeimim base would have been vital to transport personnel, equipment, and supplies that were essential to sustaining Russia’s many mercenaries, also known as private military companies (PMCs.)

According to the Centre of Strategic International Studies (CIC), PMC personnel in Syria consisted of Wagner Group, Vegacy, E.N.O.T., Vostok Battalion, and others.

Transporting mercenaries to Ukraine

Monitoring groups such as Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) found that between June and September 2022, at least three flights transported around 300 Syrian mercenaries fighting for Russia from Hmeimam to fight in their war in Ukraine. 

STJ spoke to a Syrian security company called “Al Sayyad” who had informed the families that their sons were killed in Ukraine. Russian forces never returned their bodies. 

STJ found that one flight, “transporting 70 Syrian fighters, most of them from Hama, Homs, and Sweida, had undergone a Wagner 45-day training camp at the Sayid base/camp in the Al-Farqalas district of Homs” before their deployment to fight against Ukraine. 

STJ spoke with the family of one fighter who managed to make contact with this family. Russian forces forbade them to use mobile phones, but he had managed to call twice to say that he was working as a sniper for Russian forces in the Donetsk Region.

Later, the family was told by others that he had gone missing, though they did not know if he was captured or killed. Their source said that some other mercenaries deployed were from the Afghan Fatemiyoun militia and the Syrian Quds Brigade, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The Kremlin has been deploying many foreign fighters in their war against Ukraine, such as using North Koreans and coercing Ukrainians in occupied territory to fight for them. This tactic is likely in a bid to keep domestic support for Moscow as swathes of Russians are being killed on the battlefield.

The Hmeimam base has not only allowed the Kremlin to make significant political advancements across the African continent but also deploy Middle Eastern foreign fighters to wage their war in Ukraine. The loss of these bases would likely lead to Russia suffering greatly. 

Russia’s change of rhetoric to save military bases

Russia could, in effect, use its positions in Libya or Sudan as replacement bases but, as highlighted by the Institute of the Study of War (ISW), Russia lacks formal agreements and facilities in both countries to adequately fill Hmeimim and Tartus’s role. Domestic and international political backlash from recent events in Syria pose obstacles to establishing another highly visible base in the short term in either country.

A source cited by Russian state media RIA Novosti on December 8 said that the opposition forces that overthrew Assad’s regime have guaranteed the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria. 

HUR  reported Russia has initiated a mass evacuation of personnel and equipment from Syria. Russia has planned a series of military transport flights to evacuate personnel and equipment. At the same time, reports indicate that Russia is evacuating its naval forces. 

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War in Ukraine

What the Kremlin Has Lost after Russia's Great Retreat from Syria

Dec 10, 2024 13:38

The amount of Russian personnel and equipment remaining in Syria remains unclear, as is the length of time it will take to evacuate. Meanwhile, Russia will still need to ensure friendly cooperation with anti-government forces to ensure a smooth operation. Since Assad's downfall, the Kremlin has shifted its rhetoric regarding the Syrian Rebels that overthrew the regime, likely in a bid to save what they have left. 

In 2017, during Putin’s visit to Hmeimim Air Base he said "If the terrorists again raise their heads, we will deal such blows to them as they have never seen."

Just days before Assad’s downfall, during a press conference in Doha, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov labeled the the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS as a terrorist organization. 

Days later, the Syrian ambassador in Moscow critiqued Assad in an interview with Russian state-controlled media, RT “The escape of the head of this system in such a miserable and humiliating manner … confirms the correctness of change and brings hope for a new dawn.”

Meanwhile, Russian authorities have provided asylum to al-Assad and his family.

Evidence suggests that Russia will likely repatriate its military assets in Syria, to bolster their war in Ukraine.