An Su-24 taking off from Hmeimim air base in 2015. IMAGE: Russian Ministry of Defense
Syria had agreed to transfer additional land and water area to expand Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
The new agreement was published on the official Russian portal of legal information on August 19. The protocol was signed on July 21 in Damascus and on July 30 in Moscow.
“The Syrian Arab Republic agrees to the transfer to the Russian Federation a land plot and water area in the province of Lattakia in order to create and locate a medical health and rehabilitation center for the Russian aviation group,” the agreement reads.
The new areas, which cover 8 hectares and include several buildings, will be used to expand Hmeimim Air Base for the entire duration of the agreement on the deployment of the Russian air group in Syria.
Last May, President Vladimir Putin has ordered the defense and foreign ministries to hold talks with Syria to get more facilities and maritime access in Syria.
Besides Hmeimim Air Base, Russia maintains a Naval Base in the port of Tartus city. Syria hosts other smaller Russian fortified positions, including an air-defense facility in western Hama, where an S-400 system is deployed.
The expansion of Hmeimim Air Base will reinforce Russian military presence in Syria on the long term. Russia’s support has allowed Syrian government forces to re-impose control of vast parts of the country since 2015.
Hopefully the command of Russia’s deployment in Syria will receive more frequent orders from Moscow to unglue their warplanes from Hmeimim. Terrorists are very obviously activiley shooting at SAA and even Russian soldiers in Idlib, Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, Homs, Daraa, etc., while Russia’s going on joyrides with Turks.
Unfortunately this is a matter of pure policy and not deployment size I’m afraid… but the de-facto closer strategic cooperation that this extension could imply a gradual and/or limited stiffening of Russia’ rules of engagement vis à vis IDF future attacks. In fact, it all depends on the geopolitical architecture that Putin envisions for Russia in the region, and Syria specifically, on the midterm.
If it’s curtailed to merely consolidating its existing presence and access to the Mediterranean, then don’t hold your breath, as they will keep watching it happen albeit with bigger eyes and more idle muscle.
If it entails turning Syria into an effective frontline state in their perceived phases of a more serious future geopolitical struggle with the US however, then we could see a comeback of Hafez Assad’s tit-for-tat policy for the SAA whenever his men or citizens were stung by the IDF.
All we can do for now is to wait and see. These processses take years to take effect anyway.
Hey Gryzor!! got some good news today. As always I hope you’re doing good!
https://twitter.com/mohshaltouki/status/1296347783054667776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1296347783054667776%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html1296347783054667776
Iran has unveiled a 1,400km Quasi-BM (what I speculate to be a beefed up FATEH) and 1,000km AshCM.
https://twitter.com/mohshaltouki/status/1296345766085173248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1296345766085173248%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html1296345766085173248
they are going for “joyrides”with you whore mother, later on they will pas her to the terrorists
Most excellent. CIA trolls and hasbarats will cry and rage :)
Tommy Jenson will be simply furious!
Hope he has some Xanax ready to pop…
Enlargement but not for Syria… Russian positioning for future war in East Mediterranean.
I actually think that the dock is very important for Russian shipping. I don’t see that being connected to future wars but rather export/import, i see it as economically but it would also improve logistics. I see the building medical health and rehabilitation center as normal operations and something that should be found on the base.
You probably don’t see it connected “to wars” being innocent by nature and market oriented person. All military bases are “connected to future wars” and not to tourism or something else.
I may agree with limited possibility of developing civilian aspect to the certain extent (as additional possibility). But those bases are built to be military bases. And their geopolitical position in Mediterranean is of crucial military importance for Russia. There is bigger war (than Syria) coming into the region and Russia is getting ready for that.
Who do you think will be in this bigger war?
Sorry I don’t want to answer that…I have my reasons. I am sure that Russia already knows
“who” and “why”, maybe they even have idea “when”…
If you prefer to think that i am full of it…and just blabbing my mouth…be my guest
I don’t care.
I have lost my respect for majority people here, anyways.
I am totally sincere and I wanted your opinion ,but it is ok if you don’t want to answer. I also think a big war is coming on and I don’t want the Orthodox peoples in SE europe to be fighting against Russia. If Russia supports Turkey I see this sad state of affairs happening.
It won’t be long and Turkey will be at war with Greece and Russia better decide who it loves more. It won’t be able to sit on the Fence. Greece is used to being betrayed by its Nato allies but it has higher standards and expectations of the Russians, even if they are not formally allies. The everyday Greek and Serb loves Russia even if its governments always do as Nato tells them what to do.
Russia stupidly allowed Cyprus to fall to the Turks ,and was powerless to save Yugoslavia ,and stupid again to allow Libya to fall . Thankfully ,it smartened up again with Syria . Let us see what it does with Greece…
Russia has already talked about developing the maritime docks around Latakia for civil purposes. A dock where Russian civil shipping can load, unload, storage and transfer for other shipping lines.
It not something i made up.
Thanks for specifying and giving important information. We might not have understood each other.
In that case that has nothing to do with building up the naval base (even though it can be converted in case of major war in military purpose almost immediately )
Exactly. And Syrian land in cheap now in the economic crisis. But at least this can have some advantages for Syria in the geopolitical game, compared to increasing shares that Russian companys have bought on the cheap from the already too few oil and gas wells in Syira.
” increasing shares that Russian companys have bought on the cheap from the already too few oil and gas wells in Syira.”
It is always like that. Russian companies would never take that much risk to buy that, without presence of the Russian bases. Still Syria is happy to get some money from somewhere since their economy is hardly functioning at all.
This is only a minor enlargement less than 1 square Kilometre make it 40 square kilometres and load it up to fuck
trust me its already loaded up with dozens of radar an SAM launchers, decoys and more, just look on google maps
anyone ever use google earth to see how many air defense piece RuAF have in Hmeimim? It’s crazy – over 10 s400 launcher, dozens of Tor and at least 20-30 pantsir, plus at least 10 radars. they are prepared for huge airstrike and missile strikes, that’s enough to take out 40 enemy jets and over 200-300 enemy missiles/drones
The number of simultaneously guided missiles (full S-400 system)
is 160 missiles and if 2 missiles per jet that makes 80 downed enemy jets not 40
You are a very salty fellow. These are estimates, heck some might even be decoys. Of course Russia has another air defense battalion in Maysaf, Hama and Tartous Airbase.
And no S-300V4 has a max range of 250km, not 400km. We can all agree they have dozens of pantsir, buk, tor S-350, S-300V4, and S-400
S-300V4 has latest missiles with 400km range just like S-400 (from what I have been reading) Range varies depending on types of the targets (since as you know I suppose S-300V4 is anti-missile system above all, like S-400 is anti-aircraft specialized) Yes we can all agree they have plenty of BUK and short range Tor,Pantsir, I don’t know about S-350; since only Moscow and Kaliningrad has them at the moment I think. But I might be wrong
Sounds good. See you don’t always have to get mad at someone’s estimation, insults, and downvote them lol.
it is small pleasures like that make life more interesting :)
In Russia try that in person, I’d break your jaw. A small pleasure to make life more interesting. But I’m sure ur much nicer in person :)
I obviously don’t have Russian sense of humor…Am I “much nicer in person”?… depends how tall and strong you are :-) and if I am taller and stronger…than I don’t know
haha
The no fly zone has been very successful west of the river. It needs to be extended east of the river and over Al-Tanf.
Apparently the tactical advisor team of President Putin sees there is a way out, a narrow and dangerous path to follow, but hopefully leading to redemption. Where the SAA can tip-toe around the US threat in Syria, so it doesn’t get smashed to bits in revenge US-Israeli missile attacks, while trying to somehow, against all odds, going against the seeming impossible = to liberate Idlib. This is one of those hair-raising stage performances with high ladders and sharp swords and vulnerable acrobats, where the audience gets so still, you could hear a needle dropped onto the floor. It all depends on perfect execution now..