Logistics challenges have led to food and drinking water shortages for Russian troops in Syria, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) alleged on Dec. 15.
In a Sunday Telegram statement, HUR said the shortages occurred in Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base and the Tartus Naval Base, as well as in warships currently anchored off the coast of Tartus. Moscow established a permanent military presence at both bases in 2017.
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HUR said two transport planes were scheduled to fly from Russia to the Khmeimim Air Base on Saturday, as part of the evacuation effort and provide food to stranded troops. HUR previously stated on Dec. 10 that multiple transport planes and warships were in-bound to Syria to evacuate troops and equipment.
HUR said on Monday morning that Russian transport aircraft “continued their shuttle service from Syria to airfields in Russia.”
“To transport weapons, military equipment and personnel, Russia is using an Il-76MD from the 196th Military Transport Aviation Regiment, two Il-76MD from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and two An-124-100 from the 224th Flight Squadron, which belongs to the structure of the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor state,” HUR’s Monday statement says.
It added that Moscow has been withdrawing its troops from outposts across Syria, at times accompanied by the rebels that ousted the Moscow-backed Assad regime.
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Moscow has evacuated at least 400 troops from near Damascus to the Khmeimim Air Base in recent days in coordination with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a rebel group that spearheaded the offensive against the Assad regime, an official from the group confirmed to the Financial Times (FT).
There are also rumors among Russian troops stationed in Syria that Moscow might have struck a deal to allow it to keep up to 3,000 troops in its two Syrian bases, HUR said.
It is unclear how HUR obtained the information, and Kyiv Post cannot independently verify its authenticity.
Russia has supported Assad’s regime in Syria since 2015 when it launched a military intervention to bolster Syrian government forces – providing airstrikes, weapons and military advisors to combat Syrian opposition factions.
With Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ousted on Dec. 8, the future of Moscow’s bases in Syria remains unclear.
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