Rusia

Following the rapid overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Moscow is now facing the prospect of losing its naval and air bases in Syria. Russia’s two key bases are located in the Latakia governorate, which is already under the control of rebel groups. Syrian opposition forces have yet to take an official stance on their relationship with the Russian military contingent currently stationed in Syria. And Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has deemed it “too early” to talk about preserving the Russian bases at Khmeimim and Tartus. “This is a subject for discussion with those who will lead Syria,” he said on Monday. By all appearances, however, this “discussion” is already underway. Citing diplomats involved in talks between Russia, Iran, Turkey, and “leading Arab nations,” the Wall Street Journal reports that Moscow has “likely received commitments” that it could maintain its bases in Syria as “part of a transition.” But to what extent the Syrian rebels will honor those commitments remains unknown. Meduza breaks down what facilities Russia has in Syria and why their future is so uncertain.

The three-starred flag of the Syrian rebel groups has been installed over the Syrian embassy building in Moscow.

At the Syrian embassy in Russia’s capital, Moscow, a group of men raised the opposition flag a day after the government of Bashar al-Assad fell in Damascus.

The Syrian president’s ousting “shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran,” the EU’s top diplomat said.

Europeans on Sunday (8 December) welcomed the dramatic victory of rebel groups in the Syrian civil war, pointing to the weakness of his international backers Russia and Iran, but cautioned about what may follow.

The Group of Seven nations are arranging to hold a virtual summit on Dec 13 to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, Japanese government and diplomatic sources said.

The meeting, likely to be attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, comes ahead of the January return to the White House of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has cast doubt on the effectiveness of multilateral frameworks like the G7.

OSINT observers and military analysts monitoring developments in Syria have raised alarms about increased activity by Russian forces at their Khmeimim Air Base.

Reports highlight the arrival of multiple transport aircraft, a move some interpret as signaling a potential evacuation of critical Russian assets from the region.