Khmeimim Air Base: free and forever?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The Khmeimim air base is the first military facility in the 21st century in the region, which was previously considered a zone of influence of other states. And that worries other countries more than terrorist bombings in the desert. The planes are here today, tomorrow they are gone, but the Russian presence remains, and in what region? In the Middle East, where the main trade routes between East and West pass. The Khmeimim air base in Syria is not so much of strategic as of political importance for Russia. It will be discussed further.

Location

But first, let's answer where the Khmeimim airbase is located.

It is located in the province of Latakia in eastern Syria. A little further south is the naval base at Tartus on the Mediterranean coast.

Military base or home base?

The agreement under which the Khmeimim air base appeared in Russia was signed back in August 2015.

This happened a month before the official bombing of the banned Islamic State in Russia. This is understandable: such an object does not unfold in one day. On thein fact, Khmeimim Air Base for the Aerospace Forces and Tartus for the Navy are not military bases, but temporary logistics centers with prefabricated modules. This is due to several reasons:

• Saving time. Building a base is a fairly lengthy undertaking.
• Economic considerations. Temporary modules are significantly cheaper to deploy and operate.
• Political realities. It is not known how long a regime loyal to Moscow can hold out. And what will happen if B. Assad ceases to be president? Huge cash costs can go down the drain with a change of power.

For eternity?

The Khmeimim air base, under the agreement between Moscow and Damascus, is deployed for an indefinite time and free of charge.

That is, there is no time frame for its use. This gave rise to many patriotic media outlets to report that the base in Syria will be “forever”, supposedly as stated in the agreements. Actually it is not.

The treaty states that either side (logically speaking, this is Syria) can inform the other about the collapse of the base. And then, within a year after the official appeal, Russia must leave Syria. Although, according to President V. V. Putin, it takes only a couple of days to collapse the modules.

As for gratuitousness, Syria will not pay anything to Russia for help against terrorists. But Moscow does not demand anything. According to the Russian leadership, we ourselves are interested in conducting an antiterrorist operation in the Syrian Arab Republic. This isthe so-called "preemptive strike". That is, there are many Russian citizens in Syria fighting on the side of the terrorists. Their return back is undesirable, as we will have to fight them here with us.

But Russia also does not pay any rent for the air base. In addition, no taxes are paid from our military in favor of the Syrian budget.

Everything is standard

According to some experts, there is nothing supernatural in the fact that the Russian base enjoys the right of extraterritoriality. It is standard international practice for one side to ask the other for military assistance. The Khmeimim military air base (photo can be seen below) was deployed at the request of Syria, and not at the initiative of Russia.

In addition, all claims from third parties regarding our base, Syria takes over. This means that if a bomb from a Russian plane flies into a residential building, all claims must be sent to Damascus. This is also standard practice.

History repeating itself?

Syria had close ties with the former USSR. Documents were declassified in which the world learned about secret agreements for the supply of weapons. They were signed by the famous Marshal Georgy Zhukov from the USSR.

In 1971, the Soviet Union created a powerful squadron of warships in the Mediterranean. It was then that the logistical support center of the Navy in Tartus was used.

Military advisers from the USSR were constantly present in Syria, and there was also an anti-aircraft missile regiment near Damascus in case of an Israeli invasion.

In 1981, a major joint Soviet-Syrian military exercise was held in Latakia. At the same time, an agreement was signed according to which, in the event of an attack on the SAR by a third country, the USSR would necessarily enter into conflict. To do this, a separate group of about two thousand people was allocated from the Airborne Forces with the aim of being transferred to Syria.

Rebuilding relationships

Cooperation ended during the reign of M. Gorbachev. Then the USSR announced that the country would improve relations with Israel, weapons would be supplied only at market prices. Then Syria announced the curtailment of all relations with the Soviet Union, and after its collapse, it generally refused to recognize Russia as the legal successor of the USSR.