Russian Military to Expand Defense in Syria; Maritime Access in Talks
Russia is one of the major superpowers across the globe, dominating the defense sector. With playing a critical role in the Syrian civil war, the country’s defense ministry is looking into expanding military facilities in the region.
Currently, maritime access is in consideration and President Vladimir Putin is in conversation with the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad for the same. Russia is a great ally to the Syrian government and therefore, it would be a critical move for both the sides if maritime access is provided to the Russian military for their defense expansion.
The Russian military has two military bases permanently situated in Syria. Latakia province is home to an air base, while a naval base sits at the Tartus on the Mediterranean coast. In terms of military expansion in the conflict struck Syria, the Russian government is looking to expand functioning at their present bases in Latakia and Tartus, respectively. As per the vice chairman of the Russian state Duma defense committee, Yuri Shvitkin the expansion will enable Russian military to gain higher level of functioning and performance.
The port of Tartus is aimed to be transformed into a completely dedicated naval base. Meanwhile, a separation will be defined between the civilian section at the air base of Latakia from the one used by air force. Doing this will not only ensure better confidentiality of the activities, but also enhanced protection of the military and its technology.
Presence of the Russian military is considered the most significant for Syrian government. The Syrian civil war that first started in 2015 as an aftermath of the Arab spring wave across the Middle East and North African region, took Syria under its fire. Russian military carried out its first mission in the region back then in the month of September and has since been involved in the war, allied with Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The lethal Syrian civil war has resulted in the loss of millions of lives. More than 384,000 people have been killed so far, which included about 116,000 civilians only. The growing national security concerns of the Russian military has led it to discuss expansion of military facilities in the region it is critically involved, in order to gain a stronger foothold.
