The Russian fleet will retain access to the Syrian port of Tartus, and the Russian Ministry of Defense will continue to use the airfield at Hmeimim as a transit hub to support the Kremlin’s operations in Africa. Bloomberg reported this according to a source in Moscow familiar with the memorandum of understanding signed by both countries. According to the source, who asked not to be named, the agreement creates a long-term legal basis for Russia’s presence in Syria and establishes ties with the transitional government of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. Russia’s involvement in training Syria’s new armed forces is also expected to help build trust between Moscow and Damascus.
Retaining a strategic foothold
Retaining military bases in Syria is a significant success for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sought to maintain a strategic foothold in the Mediterranean after his ally Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by former Islamist rebels in December 2024. Russia helped Assad escape and provided him with refuge in Moscow when fighters led by Al-Sharaa entered Damascus and declared victory in the nearly 15-year civil war.
A Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and a spokesman for the Syrian government did not respond to requests for comment. Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops to Syria in 2015 to help Assad, and this military intervention turned the tide of the war. In 2017, Assad’s regime granted Russia a 49-year lease on the base in Tartus and the Hmeimim airfield, but these agreements effectively became void after his overthrow.
Negotiations and new terms
According to a source in Russia familiar with the document, Moscow has agreed with the Syrian authorities to change some of the functions of its military facilities and allow parts of these facilities to be used for civilian purposes. This will allow them to be retained for operations in Africa. Despite Putin’s support for Assad, Al-Sharaa did not demand the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Hmeimim and Tartus, although Moscow significantly reduced its military presence there soon after the new government came to power.
Syria and Russia have been negotiating a new agreement on the facilities for over 18 months. Putin hosted Al-Sharaa for talks in Moscow in October 2025 and January 2026. Putin’s intervention in Syria helped restore Russia’s position in the Middle East, which had been undermined after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin’s inability or unwillingness to save Assad underscored how much the Russian army had been depleted by the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for five years.
Tartus is Russia’s only naval base in the Mediterranean, and Moscow has maintained a presence there since 1983, dating back to Soviet times. Russia established its airbase at Hmeimim in 2015, using it to bomb opposition forces.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the memorandum of understanding on Sunday, stating that the aviation and naval bases would be converted into “joint training and qualification centers” within three months, according to the state agency Syrian Arab News Agency. Damascus will manage civilian facilities at both sites, Moscow’s presence on the Syrian coast will be reorganized, and the pact “protects the interests of both countries”, the Sana agency reported.
Source: Bloomberg
