Russia Discusses Possible Restructuring of Tartus and Khmeimim Bases With Damascus

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.

“In the weeks that followed the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, satellite imagery revealed a shaken Russian army withdrawing from its once highly prized Mediterranean bases”

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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.”

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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 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.

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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.

France 24 also quoted Dmitri Peskov saying there was “no doubt” the thorny issue of the Russian military presence in Syria would be addressed.

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.

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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.