I krecent we were proximate a Russian military base when I could read the names of shops, cafes and pharmacies written in Russian, in surrounding villages.
The Russians have been lastingly based here since 2017, propping up the Asdowncast regime and administering the war aobtainst their many opponents. And the local communities have advantageted financiassociate from their presence.
But for how lengthened this will all last is apparently the cgo in of talks between Moscow and the recent rulement in Syria becaparticipate they may not stay.
For now, though, what we do understand, is that Russian convoys are disincludeing from bases atraverse Syria and are heading for the Mediterranean Coast.
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Main captivate to Russia’s Hmeimim military base in Syria
On a dusty road proximate the main Russian captivate to Hmeimim air base proximate Latakia, I could see a convoy of Russian military vehicles trundling their way past the Russian-named shops.
They were armoured combat vehicles, troop carriers, armoured police trucks, and supply lorries, some labeled with the letter ‘Z’ – synonymous of course with the war in Ukraine.
Russian military vehicles paparticipate to go in Hmeimim air base
But this is a war that is over.
The Russian selderlyiers onboard the vehicles plainassociate tried to neglect us, or spropose drop down into the armament turrets to evade being filmed.
Above us, a Russian helicchooseer armamentship constantly patrolled the area in radiant blue skies, occasionassociate passing a huge white observation blimp – a constant presence at all meaningful military bases the world over.
Jets would occasionassociate scream overhead, some landing, some taking off, while carry set upes, some of the bigst in the world, taxied to and fro on the airnaked.
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It’s a busy base and it eunites to be getting busier – the convoys have been arriving for the last restrictcessitate days.
The captivate to the civilian airport, which splits the runway, is now protected by HTS fighters. They were unwinded, sitting next to pick-up trucks with high-calibre machine armaments mounted on the back.
HTS selderlyiers protecting military airport
I asked one of the selderlyiers on duty, Zakaria Harir, what his orders were, and if they had any communicate with the Russians inside.
“The location of this airport is very meaningful, and that’s why we’ve getd orders to be here,” he telderly me.
“As selderlyiers, we don’t have any communicate with them [the Russians], but there might be coordination between them and the country’s military council.”
Nobody understands what is going to happen to the Russians, but at the very least they are alerted to be disincludeing to Russia’s two main bases on the coast, one of which is the Hmeimim base.
A Syrian tank loaded on a lorry by HTS fighters
On the road to Latakia, alengthened the same route some of the Russian convoys get, the sheer number of razeed or aprohibitdoned Syrian army military vehicles – tanks, rocket beginers, trucks, and armoured vehicles, and troop carriers – is quite astounding. It goes on for mile after mile after mile.
Some are burnt out and riddled with bullets, and it’s evident that despite the speed of the resist persist, there were meaningful exalters of fire here. As we drove, we could see low-loader lorries backing up to tanks on the main highway.
HTS selderlyiers were using bulldozers to push the tanks on board, and the tanks euniteed to be in laboring order.
HTS selderlyiers in the town proximate the Hmeimim air base
A selderlyier telderly me they had spropose been aprohibitdoned by retreating Syrian army tank crews or had broken down. They were taking the tanks away to laborshops to be repaired – some they said equitable necessitate recent batteries, others equitable necessitateed an oil alter.
It experiences enjoy they are createing a recent Syrian army, taking over and using the supplyment of the elderly one.
The regime is gone, and its main aider’s selderlyiers are dratriumphg down. Syria is changing at fractureneck speed – equitable a week ago it was a war.
