Putin faces setback as Syrian allies fall and rebels encircle
While the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, claims that the "Syrian situation is not Russia's failure," stones are being thrown at the Russians. Here is what the Russians maintained in Syria.
Surprisingly, a successful offensive by rebel groups in Syria led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, which was Russia's only regional ally besides Iran. This is a significant loss for Russia, which forfeited an operational base that supported operations conducted in, among other regions, Africa.
Currently, the Russian contingent is located at the Khmeimim airbase and the port in Tartus, where they are encircled by rebel groups. Russians are attempting to negotiate with the new authority, but they may only manage a withdrawal. The video below shows one example of the rebels' attitude towards the Russians, whose vehicles are being pelted with stones.
In recent days, the BBC reports that heavy transport planes AN-124 and Il-76 have been arriving at Khmeimim airbase to collect military equipment stationed on the tarmac.
Here is what the Syrian contingent of Russians had
Most of the Russian forces in recent years comprised light equipment such as Tigr vehicles used by Special Forces, the Wagner Group, or its remnants, and aircraft based at the Khmeimim airbase. This was supplemented by the base's air defence, which included a battery of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft system, complemented by Podlet-K1 radars and Pantsir-S1 systems.
Strike aircraft like the Su-24 or Su-30/35 have already been evacuated, and only transport planes remain at the airbase. The same may be true for elements of the S-400 Triumph system battery, which is much more valuable for Russia on Russian or Ukrainian territory. In theory, they are supposed to provide protection against ballistic missiles like the MGM-140 ATACMS, but as past cases show, they struggle with this.
The Podlet-K1 radars, on the other hand, are specialised tools for detecting difficult-to-detect objects flying at very low altitudes. Their scope includes small drones or cruise missiles like the Storm Shadow.
What remains are mainly lorries and light expedition vehicles, which are not suitable for a full-scale war in Ukraine but are better than nothing. In this regard, Russians also face considerable shortages and use substitutes like the UAZ-452 Buchanka minibuses.
