Written by Tuvan Gumrukku, Sulaiman Al-Khalidi, and Guy Faulconbridge
TARTUS, Syria (Reuters) – Russia is withdrawing its forces from the front lines in northern Syria and from positions in the Alawite mountains, but it will not leave its two main bases in the country after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. Officials told Reuters.
The ouster of Assad, who with his late father, former President Hafez al-Assad, formed a close alliance with Moscow, has thrown the future of the Russian bases – the Hmeimim air base in Latakia and the naval facility in Tartus – into question.
Satellite footage on Friday shows what appears to be at least two Antonov AN-124s, among the world's largest cargo planes, at the Hmeimim base with their nose cones open, apparently preparing for loading.
A Syrian security official stationed outside the facility said that at least one cargo plane took off on Saturday heading to Libya.
Syrian military and security sources in contact with the Russians told Reuters that Moscow is withdrawing its forces from the front lines and withdrawing some heavy equipment and senior Syrian officers.
But the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said Russia would not withdraw from two major bases and had no intention of doing so at the moment.
A senior Syrian army officer in contact with the Russian army told Reuters that some equipment is being shipped back to Moscow, as well as senior officers from Assad's army, but the goal at this stage is to regroup and redeploy according to what developments on the ground dictate.
A senior armed opposition official close to the new interim administration told Reuters that the issue of the Russian military presence in Syria and previous agreements between the Assad government and Moscow are not under discussion.
“It is a matter related to future talks and the Syrian people will have the final say,” the official said, adding that Moscow had established communication channels.
He added, “Our forces are now close to the Russian bases in Latakia,” without going into details.
The Kremlin said Russia was holding discussions with Syria's new rulers about the rules. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the Reuters reports.
A Russian source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that discussions with the new rulers of Syria are continuing and that Russia will not withdraw from its bases.
Reuters could not immediately confirm how Syrian opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, views the long-term future of Russian bases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2015 helped prop up Assad when the West was demanding his ouster, granted Assad asylum in Russia after Moscow helped him escape on Sunday.
Rules
Moscow has supported Syria since the early Cold War, and recognized its independence in 1944 when Damascus sought to overthrow French colonial rule. The West had long viewed Syria as a Soviet satellite.
The bases in Syria form an integral part of Russia's global military presence: the Tartus naval base is Russia's only repair and resupply center in the Mediterranean, and Hmeimim is a major staging point for military and mercenary activities in Africa.
Russia also has listening sites in Syria that are operated alongside Syrian signal stations, according to Syrian military and Western intelligence sources.
The Tartous facility dates back to 1971, and after Russia intervened in the civil war to help Assad, Moscow in 2017 was granted a free 49-year lease.
Yoruk Işık, an Istanbul-based geopolitical analyst who runs the Bosphorus Observer newspaper, said Russia may have been sending cargo planes from Syria through the Caucasus, then to Al-Khadim air base in Libya.
A Reuters journalist said that on the highway connecting the Hmeimim air base to the base in Tartous, a Russian convoy of infantry fighting vehicles and logistics vehicles could be seen heading towards the air base.
The convoy had stopped due to a malfunction in one of its vehicles, while soldiers stood next to the vehicles and were working to fix the malfunction.
“Whether it was Russia, Iran, or the previous government that was persecuting us and depriving us of our rights… we do not want any interference from Russia, Iran, or any other foreign interference,” says Ali Halloum, who is from Latakia and lives in Syria. Jabla told Reuters.
In Hmeimim, Reuters saw Russian soldiers walking around the base as usual, and planes in hangars.
Satellite images taken by Planet Labs on December 9 showed at least three ships in Russia's Mediterranean fleet — two guided-missile frigates and an oil ship — anchored about 13 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Tartous.
