Syria · 10 June, 2026 · 3 min read
Russia Discusses Possible Restructuring of Tartus and Khmeimim Bases With Damascus
Russia and Syria discuss restructuring Tartus and Hmeimim bases. Ouster of Assad in 2024 raised questions about base futures; Moscow says cooperation developing.
Whether Russia’s post-Assad posture involves remaining bases vs more withdrawal.
11 of 12 outlets skipped it: russia withdrew forces and weapons from Qamishli airport.
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France 24
“Russian withdrew this week its forces and weapons from the Qamishli airport”Read the original ↗
One highlights a fresh withdrawal in northeast; another stresses bases won’t be abandoned.
Possible Russian base restructuring
Russia said on Wednesday that it is discussing a “possible restructuring” of its military facilities in Syria in contacts with Damascus, including a “possible restructuring of the functionality” of Russian military facilities.
“the “possible restructuring” of its military facilities in Syria is being discussed”
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the issue “falls under the purview of our security apparatus – the Ministry of Defense,” and she added that bilateral cooperation is developing “very actively.”
The Russian military presence in Syria centers on two facilities, a naval logistics base in Tartus and the Khmeimim air base in the northwestern province of Latakia.
The remarks came as the future of the bases was questioned after the December 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad, which raised questions about the future of Russia’s Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia and the Tartus naval base.
The same reporting also tied the discussion to Russia’s contacts with Damascus after Moscow “has since established relations with the Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa.”
Zakharova’s framing and context
Zakharova said Russia is discussing with Damascus a “possible restructuring” of its two military bases, while also describing Russian-Syrian cooperation as developing “very actively.”
In the same line of questioning about Tartus, Zakharova said plans to establish a logistics and supply center in Tartus to distribute goods imported from Russia across Syria were part of the broader engagement.
The Reuters account cited by SWI swissinfo.ch reported that the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 raised questions about the future of the Russian air base at Hmeimim in Latakia and of its naval base at Tartous.
A separate report in France 24 described Vladimir Putin welcoming Syrian president Ahmed al-Charaa at the Kremlin and said the leaders were mainly to discuss the future of the Russian presence in Syria.F
France 24 also quoted Dmitri Peskov saying there was “no doubt” the thorny issue of the Russian military presence in Syria would be addressed. F
What’s at stake for Russia
Multiple sources linked the restructuring discussion to the operational role of Russia’s two bases, with the Tartus naval base described as Russia’s sole maintenance and replenishment hub in the Mediterranean and the Hmeimim air base described as a key launching point.
“The bases will remain on Syrian soil, at the place where they were.”
The Middle East Monitor account said Russia maintains two key military facilities in Syria, and it framed the talks as part of contacts with Damascus over the “possible restructuring of the functionality” of Russian military facilities.
The stakes were also described in terms of Russia’s projection in Africa, where the Hmeimim base was described as a logistics hub and a launching point for military activity and for the activities of the paramilitary forces under Kremlin control in Africa.
tv5monde reported that the bases would remain on Syrian soil, quoting a No. 2 official in Russian diplomacy: “The bases will remain on Syrian soil, at the place where they were.”
In that same tv5monde account, the official said the presence is aimed at fighting terrorists, adding that “the aim of fighting terrorists, against ISIS,” and it tied the ongoing fight to “collective effort” and the role of the Hmeimim base in the joint fight against terrorism.