Russia faces strategic loss as Syrian rebels seize control
While the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, claims that the "Syrian situation is not Russia's failure," tensions are rising against the Russians. Here's what the Russians have maintained in Syria.
Unexpectedly, a successful offensive by rebel groups in Syria led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, which was Russia's only regional ally besides Iran. This represents a significant loss for Russia, as it lost an operational base that supported its operations in places like Africa.
Currently, the Russian contingent is stationed at the Khmeimim airbase and the port in Tartus, where they are surrounded by rebel groups. The Russians are trying to negotiate with the new authority, but it's likely they will end up withdrawing. The video below shows one example of the locals' hostility towards Russians, with their vehicles being pelted with stones.
In recent days, the BBC reports that heavy transport planes AN-124 and Il-76 have been arriving at Khmeimim airbase to pick up military equipment deployed on the tarmac. This has been occurring around the clock, aligning with Eastern Time.
Here's what the Russian contingent in Syria had
In recent years, most of the Russian forces were equipped with lighter equipment, such as Tigr vehicles used by Special Forces, the Wagner Group, or its remnants, and aircraft stationed at the Khmeimim airbase. This was supported by base air defenses, which included a battery of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft system, along with Podlet-K1 radars and Pantsir-S1 systems.
Strike aircraft like the Su-24 or Su-30/35 have already been evacuated, leaving only transport planes at the airbase. The same likely applies to elements of the S-400 Triumph system battery, which are much more valuable for Russia within its own territory or in Ukraine. In theory, these systems are supposed to protect against ballistic missiles like the MGM-140 ATACMS, but past events suggest they struggle with this.
The Podlet-K1 radars, on the other hand, are specialized for detecting hard-to-detect objects flying at very low altitudes, such as small drones or cruise missiles like the Storm Shadow.
What remains are primarily trucks and light expedition vehicles, which are not suitable for full-scale warfare in Ukraine but are better than nothing. In this situation, Russians also face significant shortages and resort to substitutes like the UAZ-452 Buchanka minibuses.
