The
Russian Defense Ministry has started work on upgrading the bases in
Tartus and Khmeimim in Syria into permanent military centers.
Damascus has agreed to host Russian forces for at least 49 more
years.
The
bases in Tartus and Khmeimim are among a handful of military
installations Russia has in foreign nations. Earlier this year,
Russia and Syria finalized an agreement regulating the presence of
Russian troops in Syria. Khmeimim Airbase, located near Latakia, and
the naval site in the port city of Tartus have both been handed over
to Russia for 49 years lease-free, and with a condition of automatic
extension unless either country chooses to terminate the deal. The
Russian parliament ratified the Khmeimim deal in July and the Tartus
deal on Tuesday.
Defense
Minister Sergey Shoigu reported on Tuesday that the details of the
deployment and development of the two sites had been authorized by
President Vladimir Putin last week. “We have started the process
of formation of our permanent forces [in Syria],” Shoigu said
at a ministry meeting.
Russia
has been flying sorties from Khmeimim since 2015, when its Syria
anti-terrorist campaign started. The site in Tartus has been
operating since the 1970s, but was a small facility meant for
resupplying Soviet and later Russian ships. Officially dubbed a
“material-technical support point” in naval nomenclature, it is
not fitted to dock or repair larger ships.
The
Russian Navy, however, reportedly intends to expand the facility
significantly. Under the agreement with Syria, the future base would
be allowed to host up to 11 Russian warships, including those with a
nuclear power plant. At the moment there is only one Russian
nuclear-propelled military surface ship, the 24,000-ton battlecruiser
‘Pyotr Velikiy’, although Russia will soon have a nuclear
icebreaker – albeit which is unlikely to be given a mission in the
Mediterranean – while a brand new Lider-class destroyer project is
at the design stage.
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