Syria says it reached deal with Moscow on future of Russian bases A Russian convoy has delivered supplies to the port of Tartous in Syria for the first time since the Moscow-Damascus deal was signed in August. The four-vessel convoy reached the port on September 7, signalling that Moscow is continuing to resupply facilities in western Syria at Tartous port and the Hmeimim air base under the new deal. Syria announced in early August that a memorandum of understanding had been reached after 18 months of negotiations. According to the Syrian foreign ministry, the agreement will convert both facilities, long Moscow’s principal military footholds in the Mediterranean and Middle East, into “joint training and capacity-building centres”, with Syria assuming control of civilian operations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Syrian counterpart, Ahmed al-Sharaa, have continued discussions on the future of the bases. Satellite imagery verified by Reuters showed the cargo vessel Sparta docked in Tartous alongside the navy replenishment oiler Akademik Pashin. The Russian tanker General Skobelev remained offshore. Sparta has long handled Russian military logistics in Syria, and both it and the tanker are under Western sanctions.
Moscow intervened militarily to prop up former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during Syria’s 13-year civil war. His 2024 removal sharply curtailed Moscow’s influence across the Middle East. Since then, Russia has sought to rebuild ties with the new Syrian administration to safeguard its only two military facilities outside the former Soviet Union, even as Damascus continues to demand the extradition of Assad, who is currently sheltering in Moscow.
