The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (formerly the USSR) have occupied the Tartus base since 1971. Syria has been and remains a strategic partner in Central Asia. The number of personnel at the site was initially 50 people, but since 2016 there are more than 1,700 units. A military facility in the city is used as a logistics support point
History of creation
Tartus (Syria) occupies a favorable position in Central Asia. The base of the Russian Armed Forces can serve ships with combat support located in the Mediterranean Sea. is an hour away by car, allowing Russians to maintain contact and provide support to the country's main forces.
Recent events in the country prompted the Russian government to additionally station aviation at the Khmeimim airfield. Warships are constantly on duty off the coast of Syria in the Mediterranean Sea. The defense of equipment and personnel is carried out by the Marine Corps.
What is the city famous for?
Tartus (Syria) is a historical city with a huge number of buildings dating back to the Phoenicians. There is the famous Church of Our Lady of Tartus on the island of Arvad. Inside there is an ancient altar, which is of interest to pilgrims from all over the world.
The island is located at a distance of 3 kilometers from the coastal part of the country. The Templars managed to hide on it from the Muslims for three years. Now it houses a museum, an Arab castle and the ruins of a Phoenician wall.
Ancient buildings were modified by Muslims and later strengthened by the Templars. At every step the city is filled with monuments dating back thousands of years. The famous crusader fortress Markab has been restored and is nearby.
The purpose of creating a logistics point
The Russian one in Syria (Tartus) is the only one in the region. Warships on constant duty can carry out command tasks in a timely manner. All destroyed piers were restored through the joint efforts of friendly countries.
The Russian Navy can use the base for the following purposes:
- Replenish food supplies.
- Repair ships.
- Take consumables on board.
- Unload objects of strategic importance to carry out military missions in military conflicts in the city of Aleppo.
At the invitation of the current one - Assad - the Russian Navy is protecting stability in the region. The restoration of the base continues to this day; a decision was made to form the Mediterranean Squadron of the Navy. The unit will be located there permanently.
Tasks of the Russian Fleet
Tartus (Syria), which has a naval base of strategic importance, is a historically significant city. In addition, it acts as an outpost in the struggle for world order throughout the eastern region. Maintaining peace and the interests of the country cannot be carried out without the powerful support of the fleet. The warships carry missiles capable of hitting targets within a radius of more than 1,000 km.
Tartus (Syria) can host battle cruisers and aircraft carriers. The latter protect shipping in the area where attacks by Somali pirates constantly occur.
Thus, the city of Tartus (Syria) is quite significant from a strategic point of view. The naval base, which is being rebuilt in 2016, has the following missions:
- anti-terrorist fight;
- maintaining stability in the maritime zone;
- air defense;
- anti-sabotage protection of Russian property;
- restoration of influence in the political arena.
Conflict in the Middle East
The Tartus base in Syria helps pursue the interests of the Russian Federation. The expeditionary corps of the Russian army has long been stationed in the cities of the country, awaiting an order from the command to begin supporting government forces, while the local military copes with terrorist groups supplied by the West: America, Great Britain - NATO members.
There is no open military confrontation between the powers; everything is decided on the territory of a small state. Russia does not intend to cede the region and will show all its capabilities in order to stop the lawlessness of gangs. The mission of the troops present is to support the current government and help restore stability in the Middle East.
The Russian military is stationed in the city of Latakia, supported by the port of Tartus. The position was strengthened so firmly that a decision was made to restore the ship repair yard. In the future, the return of the Armed Forces to the positions of the former USSR will be achieved, which is far from being to the liking of Western colleagues.
Role in geopolitics
Tartus (Syria) on the world map is important from the point of view of the balance of power in the region. For Russia, the city becomes an assistant in geopolitical confrontation with the West. In addition to this region, the Russian Armed Forces plan to return to their presence in Egypt, Vietnam, and Cuba. These measures will help restore radar reconnaissance capabilities.
A return to military cooperation with Syria provides an opportunity to support Iran. The transportation of military specialists, weapons and material supplies to Libya, where a Shiite group is being formed, takes place through Assad’s territory.
By restoring its presence in the Middle East, Russia is trying to elevate its role in the political arena. After the events in Ukraine, measures to save Bashar al-Assad are more aimed at strengthening their positions. The conflict could escalate into World War III at any moment, but they try not to think about it.
He submitted for ratification to the State Duma an agreement with Syria on the transformation of the 720th logistics point (LMTS) of the Navy in the Syrian port of Tartus into a full-fledged naval base. The first for our sailors abroad. Moreover, it is located in one of the most sensitive regions of the world for Moscow - the eastern Mediterranean, from where, as has long been calculated, it is very easy for ships of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy to keep almost the entire European part of the Russian Federation under the threat of fire from high-precision Tomahawk missiles.
There is no doubt that the State Duma, putting aside any other matters, will stamp this decision of Putin almost instantly. Ratification is expected before the end of this year. Naturally, everything has long been predetermined in the Federation Council. Where does this urgency come from?
Firstly, the fact is that even without any parliamentary approval, our military in Tartus is already working as if they had long been ordered to create a naval base. Since last spring, large-scale design and survey work has been carried out, the bottom is being dredged, old quay walls are being strengthened and new ones are being built, a pipeline has been laid to supply fuel and fresh water, and electrical cables have been laid to reliably supply surface ships and submarines. What is especially important: temporary defensive structures, which have been covering the approaches to the Russian PMTO since 2015, are turning into long-term ones before our eyes. Simply put, sandbags with loopholes between them and trenches are replaced with strong concrete walls and armored caps. Because our military intends to stay here for decades. At least for the 49 years for which the agreement between Moscow and Damascus is designed.
The intergovernmental document, signed on January 18 of this year, provides for the expansion of the territory of the PMTO and the entry of Russian Navy ships into the territorial sea, internal waters and ports of the Arab Republic. At the same time, the document provides for the simultaneous presence of up to 11 Russian warships in the Syrian port, including those equipped with a nuclear power plant. This is more than the entire current composition of the permanent operational formation of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.
Secondly, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces have long had not one, but several options for developing a full-fledged naval base in Syria. Because we first discussed such a possibility with the Syrians back in 1979. However, then it was assumed that the base would not be deployed in Tartus at all, but several tens of kilometers to the north - in the Latakia-Benias area. This choice was dictated by the proximity to the port of the Tifor military airfield, favored by the Soviet fleet. This would greatly ease the problems of organizing fighter cover and air logistics support for the base.
The military-political situation of those years in the Mediterranean urgently dictated to the Soviet leadership the need for such a step. There was an intense confrontation between our 5th operational squadron and the 6th Fleet of the US Navy in the region. But in one respect the forces were clearly unequal. The Americans had (and still have!) many bases along the entire coast there. Their crews regularly vacationed somewhere in Italy, Greece or Spain, and the ships were systematically repaired and replenished there. Ours had to stand for months on the open sea in a few anchorages, exhausting their engine life, consuming fuel and bringing their own personnel to exhaustion.
It happened that voyages lasted for a year without a single port call. As, for example, for the very small rescue ships of the Black Sea Fleet SS-21 and SS-26. As part of the 5th squadron, they constantly changed each other. There was no one else. While one is undergoing inter-cruise repairs in Sevastopol or working out course tasks, the other is anchored somewhere near Tunisia. Because leaving the squadron for a month or two without any rescuers at all was risky. Then another shift.
It was off the coast of Tunisia, at anchorage No. 3 in the Bay of Hammamet, by the way, that I stepped onto the deck of the SS-21 in 1979. And I witnessed that, at least, the ship’s officers, who by that time were “finishing off” the eleventh month of a continuous voyage, were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Another glaring problem with our squadron's service in the Mediterranean in those years was the complete lack of fighter cover. Every single one on its ships knew that in the event of a real war breaking out and massive missile and bomb attacks on us from the United States and its allies from NATO aircraft carriers and coastal airfields, Soviet surface ships would have only a few hours to live. And the only question was which of the enemies and in what quantity the Soviet squadron would have time to take with them to the seabed.
The appearance of a maneuverable base in Tartus in 1971 had virtually no effect on the situation. The tiny patch of Syrian land (only 2.3 hectares), given by Damascus at our disposal, allowed us to have only a couple of floating berths on it. On the shore there was an administrative building, a barracks, several workshops and small warehouses. All. Even refueling individual ships here proved to be a problem.
In 1974, the squadron headquarters, as an experiment, sent the Crimea reconnaissance ship to Tartus for the first time to replenish supplies. Some 300 tons of fuel had to be taken on board. The operation that the Syrians undertook took two days, since there was no pipeline in the PMTO, and no one allowed us to build one then. Fuel for the Crimea had to be transported from a fuel storage facility located far outside the city. The local private company that hired the tank trucks billed the Soviet side so much that its services turned out to be more expensive than the fuel itself. The ships of the squadron did not enter the PMTO again with similar purposes.
In short, we still haven’t had and don’t have any real naval base in the Mediterranean. But without our own military bases, it was impossible to radically change the situation in the region in our favor. Although Moscow constantly made attempts. Until 1977, our ships were stationed, for example, in the Egyptian ports of Alexandria, Port Said and Mersa Matrouh. But since 1972 President Anwar Sadat suddenly sharply changed the foreign policy priorities of his country and set a course for rapprochement with the United States. We had to leave his country.
The idea of organizing regular visits by ships of the Mediterranean squadron to Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, was discussed. There were rumors that one or two hotels would be rented there, where the families of our sailors would be transported by passenger planes from the USSR for a couple of weeks for a good rest. Nothing came of it.
Even then, Syria seemed to Moscow as perhaps the only real option. At that time, the country was ruled by the father of its current president Bashar al-Assad — Hafiz Assad. At the end of the 70s, he agreed to the deployment of the Soviet fleet on his territory, but only in exchange for extremely preferential and colossal supplies of weapons to his army and direct military support from the Soviet Union in the event of an attack by Israel or Iraq. On October 9, 1980, a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was concluded between the USSR and Syria, one of its clauses read: “If a third party invades the territory of Syria, the Soviet Union will be involved in the events.”
In February 1981, the previously favored area for the future base near the small seaside town of Banias was once again inspected by a representative Soviet military delegation led by First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, Admiral Nikolai Smirnov. And once again I was convinced of the correctness of the choice made. Then, in 1983, the first agreement was born between Moscow and Damascus on the deployment of a significant contingent of our troops in this country.
The document provided for the maneuverable basing point in Tartus to be significantly expanded and converted into a PMTO. To cover it, place a full-blooded anti-aircraft missile regiment of the USSR Air Defense Forces nearby, and then deploy it into a brigade. Land a mixed air regiment of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force at the Tifor airfield.
In total, 6 thousand Soviet soldiers and officers were to be deployed in Syria. But their status was not completely clear, since Damascus did not give us consent to create a real military base. Most likely, the power of Hafez Assad looked quite strong, and the threat from Israel no longer seemed so obvious to Damascus.
We managed to implement only some of the above. Since 1985, Tu-16R aircraft of the 30th reconnaissance regiment of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force began regularly flying from Tifor to search for American carrier strike formations. The PMTO in Tartus began to be used much more actively by our sailors. In the mid-80s, up to 7 Soviet diesel submarines and up to 8 large surface ships that were part of the operational squadron were repaired here annually.
Everything collapsed at the beginning of the next decade along with the Soviet Union. The 5th operational squadron disappeared and our PMTO in Tartus quickly fell into disrepair. But everything began to change quickly when a new disaster struck Syria - gangs of Islamic extremists. Damascus immediately lost its former ambition, became much more accommodating, and began to consider the idea of creating a full-fledged Russian naval base within its borders as a very good option. Moreover, long before September 2015, when the Russian Aerospace Forces operation began to defeat ISIS gangs *.
This became obvious in August 2010, when the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy at that time Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky unexpectedly for many, he declared: “Tartus will develop first as a basing point, and then as a fleet base. The first stage of development and modernization will be completed in 2012.” At the same time, engineering retrofitting of the PMTO began, the long-sunken floating pier was raised from the bottom, and dredging work began. All this accelerated significantly after Russia entered the war in Syria.
What will we get now that the long-awaited Russian naval base in Tartus finally appears? The full composition of the forces that will be stationed here is not yet known. In particular, the size of the Russian military contingent. However, something is already clear.
First of all, in the eastern Mediterranean, hundreds of miles from the coast, the so-called (in American military terminology) “access restriction/denial (A2/AD) system” will finally and for decades take shape for the 6th Fleet of the US Navy. Its contours are outlined not only by the vast boundaries of the destruction zones of our Bastion high-precision anti-ship cruise missile systems already deployed in Syria (firing range up to 300 kilometers). The presence of the Khmeimim airfield near Tartus, which remains at the complete disposal of the Russian Federation, greatly increases the combat capabilities of the Russian group to search, detect and destroy any Tomahawk carriers - from missile destroyers to enemy nuclear submarines. It turns out that the area of positional areas of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy for a hypothetical strike on Russian territory is greatly reduced from here. This means that such a strike, which has been Moscow’s worst nightmare for decades, is easier to prevent. Including the forces of naval formations of the Russian Navy.
It is clear that the combat stability of these formations themselves increases many times due to the appearance above our ships of fighter cover that has never existed before in these waters.
Further. The already quite powerful air defense system of Tartus and Khmeimim, including the famous S-400 and S-300VM anti-aircraft missile systems, can be expanded almost instantly. The new berths, as already mentioned, will make it possible to keep a significant number of large warships in the port for a long time. Let's say, such as the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Peter the Great" or the missile cruisers "Marshal Ustinov" and "Moscow". The S-300F “Fort” air defense systems mounted on them have a far border of the affected area of up to 200 kilometers. Which will serve as an excellent addition to the air defense systems that are already on the shore. And it will make it almost impossible to strike Russian bases with enemy air attacks.
All this together deprives the Americans and their allies of any peace, who over the last quarter of a century have become accustomed to reigning supreme in the strategically very important Mediterranean Sea. They will no doubt try to reverse the course of events. The most obvious thing is to destabilize the Assad regime. Well, even the presence of a Russian naval base in this country in the hands of Moscow should become an additional reliable means of preventing such a development of events.
* By the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014, the “Islamic State” was recognized as a terrorist organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.
TASS-DOSSIER /Valery Korneev/. On October 10, 2016, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Nikolai Pankov announced Russia’s intention to permanently establish a Russian Navy base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartus.
It will be created on the basis of the 720th logistics point (LMTS) of the Russian Navy. Tartus is located 160 km northwest of Damascus, the PMTO occupies the northern part of the port.
An intergovernmental agreement between the Soviet Union and the Syrian Arab Republic on the basing of USSR Navy facilities in Tartus was signed in 1971. The base was created for the repair, supply of fuel and consumables to ships and vessels of the 5th operational (Mediterranean) squadron of ships of the USSR Navy (1967-1992 gg.). The main potential enemy of this squadron during the Cold War was the 6th Operational Fleet of the US Navy, whose headquarters were located in Gaeta, Italy (moved to Naples in 2004).
In 1977, by agreement with the Syrian authorities, the Soviet 54th operational brigade of auxiliary vessels was relocated to Tartus from the Egyptian ports of Alexandria and Mersa Matruh. This was done after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat changed the priorities of Egyptian foreign policy, curtailing military cooperation with the Soviet Union and beginning an active rapprochement with the United States. In April of the same year, the Directorate of the 229th Division of Marine and Offshore Support Vessels was formed in Tartus, which was subordinate to the commander of the brigade of support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet.
By decision of the Politburo of May 12, 1983, during 1984, the 720th logistics support point of the Black Sea Fleet was deployed in Tartus, which was subordinate to the deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet for logistics. The point included three floating berths PM-61MM, a floating workshop (changed every six months), storage facilities, barracks and various utility facilities.
Condition after the collapse of the USSR
On December 31, 1992, the Mediterranean squadron (by that time the 5th operational flotilla) ceased to exist. At the same time, Russia retained the 720th PMTO, which in 1992-2007. used to replenish fuel and food supplies on Russian Navy ships performing one-time voyages in the Mediterranean Sea.
On August 21, 2008, during negotiations between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Sochi, the issue of the status of the cargo handling facility in Tartus was discussed, where by that time only one of the floating berths was operating.
In September of the same year, another floating pier was restored by the crew of the auxiliary vessel KIL-158 of the Black Sea Fleet. In 2009-2010 planned repairs of infrastructure facilities were carried out.
"Syrian Express" and the operation of the Russian Armed Forces
After the outbreak of the armed conflict in Syria in 2011, Russia continued to provide military assistance to this country within the framework of previously concluded contracts in the area of military-technical cooperation.
In June 2012, the PMTO in Tartus began to be used to supply Russian weapons and military cargo to Syria - first under the 2006-2007 agreement packages, then as military assistance to the Syrian government.
On September 22, 2013, the Mediterranean squadron of the Russian Navy was created, the composition of which changes on a rotational basis (ships and vessels of the Pacific, Northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets are involved). The Ministry of Defense assigned the repair and maintenance of this operational unit to the Tartu PMTO, and a decision was made on its further modernization.
After on September 30, 2015, Russia, at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, launched an Aerospace Forces operation in Syria against the terrorist groups “Islamic State” and “Jabhat al-Nusra” banned in the Russian Federation, the Russian military group is being supplied through Tartus. Cargo transportation is carried out by large landing ships and auxiliary ships of the Navy through the Black Sea straits (the so-called “Syrian Express”).
In the fall of 2015, the Russian side carried out dredging work in Tartus and expanded the berth front of the 720th PMTO. On October 4, 2016, official representative of the Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov told reporters that the “naval base in Tartus” and the ships of the Mediterranean squadron located in the coastal zone will be covered from the air by a battery of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system delivered to Syria.
The structure consists of several small structures (to the right of No. 11 on the plan) and products - two floating piers (see No. 5 on the plan) each 100 meters long (by 2013, only one is in good condition). The only foreign logistics support point for the Russian Navy. The PMTO is located on the territory of the Syrian naval base (63rd brigade of the Syrian Navy).
The Russian Navy PMTO is guarded by two platoons of marines
Story
1971 - 2015The USSR acquired a logistics center for the Navy in Tartus in 1971, in accordance with a bilateral agreement between the two countries.
Initially, the point was created to support the actions of the Soviet fleet in the Mediterranean, namely to repair ships and vessels of the 5th operational (Mediterranean) squadron, supplying them with fuel, water and consumables.
As of 2009, the Navy's logistics support center consisted of two floating berths, a floating workshop - PM-61M (one since 1999), an administrative building, a barracks, two small storage facilities and various utility facilities on land. Only one of the two berths was suitable for use. The Navy PMTO in Tartus was served by a staff of four Russian military sailors.
In 2010-2012, it was planned to modernize the berth front, after which the Navy logistics support point would become a full-fledged naval base with the ability to deploy heavy ships, including cruisers and aircraft carriers. The base in Tartus could provide all the necessary ships that would carry out the tasks of protecting civilian shipping in the Horn of Africa from Somali pirates, significantly increasing the possibility of operational use of fleet forces due to the fact that very close to Tartus there is access to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. In addition, from Tartus it takes about 6-7 days of passage to the Strait of Gibraltar, through which ships enter the Atlantic Ocean, which is the operational zone of the Northern and Baltic fleets. The proposed modernization did not take place.
In the early summer of 2013, it was announced that Russia plans to resume a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean in 2014, which could affect the role of the 720 Navy PMTO in Tartus. However, in June of the same year, a number of media outlets published a statement that Russia had withdrawn all military personnel from Tartus in order to avoid any incidents with the Russian military that could cause unwanted political resonance. According to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the point in Tartus is not strategic for the permanent operational connection of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean, since Russian ships can replenish supplies in the Cypriot port of Limassol. The Russian Ministry of Defense denied the media reports the next day, but confirmed that only civilian and not military personnel were present on the base.
In September 2013, Russia restored its presence in the Mediterranean. A permanently operating Mediterranean squadron of the Russian Navy is being created, including up to 10 ships, including combat ships and support vessels.
Expansion and modernization after 2015
In 2015, it is planned to reconstruct the 720 Navy PMTO in the Syrian port of Tartus, after which it will be able to simultaneously receive ships of the first and second ranks from the Russian Mediterranean group. After modernizing the infrastructure of the Navy's 720 PMTO, one of the floating piers will be capable of receiving a ship of the first rank (cruiser or destroyer), and the second - two ships of the second rank (frigate or large landing ship) at once.
“The Navy PMTO in Tartus will not only be preserved, but also significantly updated taking into account the new political situation in Syria and the military situation in the Mediterranean region. We plan to begin updating the entire infrastructure of this point next year. By separate agreement with the Syrian side, we will strengthen all types of defense of this facility, including air defense and anti-sabotage defense,” said a representative of the Navy General Staff.
On March 26, 2015, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said:
“We welcome the expansion of the Russian presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially off our coasts and in our ports. According to the Syrian President, “As for the Russian presence in various regions of the world, including in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Syrian port of Tartus, it is necessary to maintain the balance that was lost after the collapse of the USSR more than 20 years ago.” “For us, the more Russia’s presence in our region strengthens, the more stable it becomes, since Russia plays a very important role in strengthening stability throughout the world.”
In response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s call for Russia to return to Syria and, first of all, to create a full-fledged naval base in Tartus, the following response came:
“Russia will not yet create a full-fledged military base in Syrian Tartus, as this could lead to an escalation of the conflict in Syria,” Viktor Ozerov, head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, told Interfax on Friday.
“On the one hand, this is beneficial for us; we would like to return to Tartus, since these are, first of all, good opportunities for our ships. But, on the other hand, in the situation that has developed in Syria, this will push certain forces, including opposition forces, to escalate tensions,” Ozerov said.
On August 26, 2015, a Russian military delegation arrived in the port of Tartus to meet with representatives of the logistics service of the Syrian Arab Army.
On October 14, 2015, the Syrian government news agency SANA published information that after completion of dredging work on the fairway and strengthening of the piers, it will be able to receive large-capacity ships. A military source said that work to clear and deepen the port fairway is in full swing in Tartus. For these purposes, in particular, the Black Sea Fleet's kill vessel KIL-158 was previously used. Currently, work is actively underway to strengthen the floating berths, and part of the port infrastructure is being updated.
In October 2016, the Russian Ministry of Defense began preparing documents that would allow the creation of a permanent naval base in Syrian Tartus. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he "welcomes the expansion of the Russian presence in the Eastern Mediterranean." On December 23, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an Order on the signing of an Agreement between Russia and Syria on expanding the territory of the Russian Navy support point in the area of the port of Tartus and the entry of Russian warships into the territorial sea of Syria. On December 13, 2017, a project to ratify the Agreement between Russia and Syria, providing for the expansion of the territory of the fleet logistics center in Tartus, was submitted to the State Duma; in December, the law was adopted by the State Duma and approved by the Federation Council. On December 29, 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law “On the ratification of the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic on the expansion of the territory of the logistics center of the Russian Navy in the area of the port of Tartus and the calls of warships of the Russian Federation into the territorial sea, internal waters and ports of the Syrian Arab Republic". Under the terms of the agreement, the Navy PMTO in Tartus is transferred to the Russian Federation for free use, receiving complete immunity from the civil and administrative jurisdiction of Syria. The maximum number of Russian warships that are allowed to be at the point at the same time is 11 units, including warships with a nuclear power plant. The agreement is designed for 49 years and is automatically extended for another 25.
In July 2017, a naval parade was held for the first time on the territory of the point in honor of
About the Russian naval base in Syrian Tartus. The document signed in Damascus on January 18, 2017 serves to mutually strengthen the defense capabilities of the parties. It regulates the expansion of the territory of the logistics support point (LMTS) of the Russian Navy in the area of the port of Tartus, the entry of Russian warships into the territorial sea, internal waters and ports of the SAR.
Syria transfers to the Russian side for free use for the entire duration of the agreement land plots and water areas in the area of the port of Tartus, as well as real estate. The agreement defines the procedure for registration and movement of vehicles, military equipment, the use of weapons, the use of communications and electronic warfare. Personnel, crew members, as well as movable and immovable property of the logistics center receive special privileges and immunities.The document creates the international legal basis for a long-term Russian naval presence in the region. Valid for 49 years with the possibility of automatic renewal for 25-year periods.
How much does Russia need a naval base in Syria, and how will it affect the military-political situation in the Middle East region and the Mediterranean?
Goodwill and legitimate power
Two years ago, Russia launched an air operation in Syria at the request of the legitimate government. Presented to the world community legitimate powers and military means, immediate and long-term goals. Subsequently, the Aerospace Forces and Navy used conventional (conventional) weapons in Syria and did not violate a single principle of international law. Overcoming the resistance of the American coalition, Russia defended the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a friendly Middle Eastern state by military means, and in fact changed history.
And she remained in the region to project goodwill, which is backed by legitimate force.
Defending Syrian independence, Russia for the first time and very effectively used missile weapons from the Navy against IS, banned in the Russian Federation, and other terrorist groups. Intensifying the combat interaction between the Aerospace Forces and the Navy, in the fall of 2016, the Russian Ministry of Defense quite naturally came to the need to expand the naval infrastructure in Syria.
On Tuesday, December 26, 2017, Russia received broad powers and unlimited opportunities for the development of naval infrastructure in the port of Tartus. After modernization, the Russian base will be able to receive ships of the first rank, including nuclear cruisers and submarines. Of course, Russia’s permanent naval presence is not an end in itself, but an instrument of geopolitical influence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.Military cooperation between Moscow and Damascus began with the emergence of the Syrian state. In the 1970s, more than 75% of the Syrian army's weapons were Soviet. At the same time, a permanent Mediterranean squadron was formed and a logistics support point for the Soviet Navy was created in Tartus.
Reference points in the World Ocean
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the possible return of military bases to Cuba and Vietnam, and information appeared about Russia’s plans for the Sidi Barrani naval base in Egypt. Moscow is rethinking decisions on the liquidation of foreign military facilities, and explains this by negative changes in the international situation.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s peace-loving foreign policy, since the end of the last century, the United States and NATO have carried out a significant part of their military operations without UN sanction - in Serbia (1995 and 1999), in Afghanistan (since 2001), in Iraq (2003), in Pakistan, Yemen , Somalia (2002). This is not counting dubious military operations with UN permission - in Iraq (1991), Somalia (1993) and Libya (2011). Refined peacefulness does not work in the modern world. How can we not remember that Soviet (Russian) military bases previously supported geopolitical stability in different parts of the world.
The main Soviet, and then the most important Russian foreign electronic intelligence center operated in Lourdes, Cuba. Until 2002, in Vietnamese Cam Ranh there was a large Soviet and Russian naval base, which was modestly called a logistics support point. Russia dismantled these bases and previously withdrew troops from Eastern Europe. In return, it received NATO bases in Romania and Bulgaria, an American missile defense position area in Poland and the Czech Republic, and advanced alliance battalions in the Baltic countries. No, it is no coincidence that Moscow initiated negotiations with Vietnam and Cuba on basing the Russian Navy in Cam Ranh and resuming the work of the center in Lourdes.
The Cam Ranh site allows Russia to effectively project power in the Indian and South Pacific oceans. The deep-water, storm-protected Cam Ranh Bay is of strategic importance for resupplying (repairing) warships on routes between the Russian Far East and the Gulf of Aden. The presence here of Russian Il-78 refueling aircraft (for refueling Tu-95 strategic bombers), repair and maintenance of Russian submarines, and simplified entry of Russian Navy ships into Cam Ranh are determined by an interstate agreement. At the same time, Russia is developing the Vietnamese infrastructure of a large international center for supplying civilian ships and warships.The power of the equipment of the radio-electronic center in Cuban Lourdes (250 km from the American coast) has made it possible since 1967 to conduct effective radio reconnaissance throughout the entire depth of US territory. In the early 1990s, up to one and a half thousand Russian military personnel performed tasks here. Today, there is a Cuban university in Lourdes that trains computer specialists. If necessary, this abundance of personnel will allow the Russian Ministry of Defense to quickly create a new center here.
Russia is also negotiating with Egypt to lease military facilities in the coastal city of Sidi Barrani, 95 km from the border with Libya. The Soviet Navy used this base until 1972 to monitor the American Navy. The revival - in the format of a PMTO and an air force base - will take place no earlier than 2019, and will certainly help in solving the geopolitical problems of the Middle East and North Africa.
Russia is returning to big geopolitics.
And foreign military bases ensure the security of main sea communications, increase the combat stability of the Navy, bring missile weapons closer to the strategic targets (territories) of a potential enemy, and make potentially dangerous areas and crisis regions accessible.
