Following the collapse of Syria’s Assad regime in December, Russia has started withdrawing military equipment and weapons from its Tartus Naval Base.
Of the two Russian cargo ships docked at Tartus, one has departed with cargo while the other is seen docked with its adjacent platform filled with containers, Radio Liberty reported, citing satellite images between Jan. 18 and Jan. 27.
Kyiv Post previously reported the arrival of the two Russian cargo ships, Sparta and Sparta II, at Tartus on Jan. 22 after weeks of denied entry, with the new Syrian authorities revoking Moscow’s once-permanent lease of the port the same day they were allowed to dock.
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Both ships are owned by Oboronlogistika, a company under Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
Radio Liberty said the Sparta II was loaded with a significant portion of the equipment from Tartus and departed on Monday, Jan. 27.
Ukrainian media outlet Defense Express, citing MarineTraffic, said the vessel is currently south of Cyprus, moving on a course of 269°. Its final destination remains unknown.
The Sparta is still docked. The platform nearest to it, which was empty on Jan. 18, is now filled with containers, satellite images showed.
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Much of the military equipment from Russian bases in Syria had already been transported to Tartus, where Russia once held a permanent military presence since 2017 under an agreement with the ousted Assad regime.
Open-source satellite images captured hundreds of Russian military vehicles parked in rows over a kilometer long within Tartus, awaiting evacuation. The Syrian coast guard took over port access earlier in January.
“With this announcement and Sparta II alongside what has been the naval piers until now, where equipment is assembled for withdrawal, it looks very much like the end of an era for the Russian Navy’s operations in the Mediterranean,” open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst MT Anderson wrote on X.
From Syria to Africa?
There are speculations that Russia might redeploy its assets from Syria to Africa, though no one knows for sure.
In recent weeks, social media footage emerged showing Russian military vehicles parading through Bamako, the capital of Mali. Analysts speculate that some of this equipment was relocated from Syria as Russia scales back its military presence.
Meanwhile, Defense Express reports that Sparta II’s possible options include a return route to the Baltic Sea or establishing a new base in Libya, which Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) previously identified as a potential option for Moscow.
Defense Express speculates that the possibility of Russia attempting to pass these ships through Turkey’s Bosphorus Straits and Black Sea to its nearest ports, such as Novorossiysk, is highly unlikely.
In March 2022, Turkey recognized Russia’s so-called “special military operation” (SVO) in Ukraine as a war and closed the Bosphorus Strait to all warships under the Montreux Convention.
Besides Turkey’s blockade, Ukrainian naval drones also pose risks for all Russian vessels, especially those known to carry military equipment, such as the Sparta II.
Radio Liberty speculates that Moscow has two options: Algeria and Libya in North Africa, a view also shared by analysts from the Royal United Services Institute in Britain.
As Radio Liberty reported at the end of 2024, the naval base in Tartus is Russia’s most painful loss resulting from the events in Syria – there are no alternatives to replace the Tartus port.
The Russian Navy base, established in 1971, remained the only Russian naval base outside the post-Soviet territory after the collapse of the USSR. The rapid fall of the Assad regime is likely to weaken Russia’s attempts to demonstrate its influence in the Mediterranean region to NATO countries for a long time, the report said.
Despite claims of ongoing negotiations to maintain a presence in Syria, Radio Liberty suggests Russia is now seeking agreements with Turkey, which played a role in facilitating the Assad regime’s downfall.
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