The fate of the Khmeimim air base and the Navy base in Tartus
The war in Syria is over ...
A little more than two weeks have passed since the moment when the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the war in Syria is over, despite the fact that there are hotbeds of tension on the territory of the country. Especially in places controlled by coalition forces.
We quote the words of Sergei Lavrov from his interview with the newspaper Trud:
"The country is gradually returning to a normal, peaceful life. Separate hotbeds of tension persist only in territories not controlled by the government of the SAR, such as Idlib and the eastern bank of the Euphrates."
It is clear that now there will be no active military operations with the participation of Russian troops. Moreover, it is clear that the presence of Russian specialists of certain specialties will continue there. This is not discussed. In some matters, especially with the balance of power that exists today in Syria, this is simply necessary for both us and the Syrians.
We are much more interested in another piece of the interview of the Russian minister. Just a couple of proposals that for most ordinary people did not say anything, but for more knowledgeable people have become that beacon in the future, the direction where Syria will move in the coming years or decades.
"On the whole, Russia is in favor of restoring sovereign, territorially integral Syria, overcoming the consequences of rampant terrorism as soon as possible, returning all Syrians to their homeland, and the country itself to the" Arab family ", which will guarantee the security and stability in the Middle East."
We will not discuss foreign policy issues today. For the appearance of a headache among diplomats and politicians of some countries, I think the last quote is enough. But how Russia will contribute to the solution of the questions stated by the Foreign Minister directly concerns, including, the Russian military.
Tartus Naval Base
In order not to intrigue readers, I will start with the main thing. The Russian Federation on an ongoing basis has a full aviation military base in the region. In addition, the Russian Navy retained, or rather, recreated, on the basis of a small previously existing base, practically not used for its intended purpose, a fully-fledged modern naval base in Tartus.
It is very difficult to say which base is more important. Without Khmeimim’s base, there wouldn’t be a new Navy base in Tartus. But at the same time, without Tartus, there would be no Hmeimim. There would be no victories of the Syrian army. Although no, there would have been victories in the end, but the price of these victories would have been an order of magnitude higher. Yes, and Russian troops would have been much more difficult to work in Syria.
Remember, when the armed conflict in Syria in 2011 began, Russia did not interfere in the internal affairs of this country. Even the appearance of ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation) did not prompt Moscow to take action. This continued until August 2015, when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned to Russia with a request to help in the fight against international terrorism. And the first blow to the Russian Aerospace Forces was delivered on the terrorists of September 30 of 2015 of the year.
Why are Khmeimim and Tartus closely related? Again you need to return to the 2015 year. Khmeimim, which was provided by our air forces as a military base, was an almost clean field with one lane, an old airport and military equipment unsuitable for the needs. There was practically nothing for the placement and operation of the Russian VKS. And a civil airfield was necessary for the republic.
A Russian soldier can quickly equip himself with a comfortable life in war. Perhaps this is genetically embedded in our military personnel. However, the command of the Air Forces and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation even then began to prepare a base for the future. And then the Navy base was needed. Capital construction required a huge amount of building materials from Russia. And it was optimal to import them by sea.
By the way, modern weapons, which so frightened the forces wishing to overthrow the Syrian president, were delivered mainly by sea. Through the base in Tartus. Although during the operation, according to media reports, it might have seemed that the supply was mainly by aviation through Khmeimim.
The Navy base in Tartus today and what was before the start of the VKS operation differs in both heaven and earth. Instead of a berth, a barracks and several warehouses in the far corner of the port, today the base is a closed water area with the latest moorings.
Moreover, this is no longer the base for one or two ships, today a squadron can enter the water area! The berths are equipped with ship life support systems, unloading platforms, and a repair complex for the maintenance and minor repair of ships.
Here it is simply necessary to mention the rest of the crews of ships and submarines. Tartus has the full infrastructure for organizing such a holiday. Now soldiers, sailors and officers live in comfortable conditions and have all the opportunities that they had in their "native" garrisons. From laundry services to movies and cafes.
It is also very important that the base in Tartus is focused not only on Syria, but also on the control of the Mediterranean Sea. Ships and submarines, which are today in the base area, are capable of striking targets located even in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. In fact, Russia took control of the entire eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.
But that is not all. The base itself is perfectly protected from attack from all sides. Air defense in Tartus has the ability to destroy targets both at a great distance, and in the immediate vicinity of the base itself. Russian air defense systems pinpoint targets at ranges up to 400 kilometers. Yes, and electronic warfare systems located in Tartus, perfectly cover the approaches to the base.
No less seriously is the naval base protected from the sea. Bastion missile systems, cruise missiles on ships and submarines, coast guard boats and anti-sabotage boats, naval special forces units - all this provides reliable protection for Tartus and the destruction of the enemy both at long and near approaches to the base.
Air Base Khmeimim
Today, the Khmeimim airbase is not just the home base of the Russian aerospace forces. In fact, it is a small Russian city located far from the homeland. Yes, yes, not a tent city, but quite modern, moderately comfortable town. True, civilians arriving at the base on a business trip are a little uncomfortable with the fact that the architecture of the base is quite monotonous.
The basis of residential construction on the basis of many well-known KIMBs. Ready-made residential "bricks" for any construction. The famous "engineering modular block design", and simply 6-meter "sea container" (6,5 m on 2,5 m), equipped with air conditioning, soundproofing, sleeping places and various lockers, bedside tables.
It is clear that young people need other common areas: canteens, a club, sports grounds ... At the airbase, all this is! There is even a bathhouse! Not to mention its own bakery and laundry. And there are two temples built by the hands of soldiers and officers. In general, we can say that today the air base is completely built, and now the task of the military is to improve living and service conditions.
Here is what the deputy commander of an aviation regiment based on the Khmeimim base said on 26 on September:
"The reconstruction of the airfield continues, the infrastructure of the entire air base is developing, including housing and cultural and leisure conditions."
The creation of an air base today can be called without a stretch the heroism of the soldiers and officers of the Russian Armed Forces. The base was unfolding in the conditions of warfare, in severe climatic conditions, when in summer the temperature jumped to 50 degrees. At the same time, the main work of the base to provide the air forces and other units and subunits of the army with everything necessary for conducting military operations continued without interruptions.
The base, as expected, is perfectly protected. Today we can say that Khmeimim is “covered” by a dome with a diameter of 400 kilometers, which guarantees the destruction of the enemy by the “Triumph” C-400. At the near approaches, “Tor M2” and “Carapace M” guard the sky. Add electronic warfare systems to these complexes.
According to the order, any object crossing the 60-kilometer zone and not responding to a request is subject to immediate destruction. It is precisely due to the fact that the commanders of the air defense system received the right to eliminate the target directly that none of the UAV attacks reached their goals. In 2019 alone, the Khmeimim air defense destroyed and landed more than a hundred strike and reconnaissance drones. General Konashenkov on the situation today:
“Our air defense systems have proven in practice that they can [not only] detect targets such as rockets and Dronesbut also effectively destroy them. In addition, they are capable of destroying cruise missiles, and S-400s are also capable of destroying ballistic targets."
Any airbase is primarily an airfield. In order to find out about the state of the airfield, let us turn again to an interview with the deputy commander of the air regiment:
“The first class airfield, which is capable of receiving all types of aircraft, from helicopters to heavy military transport aircraft and missile carriers ... Now the reconstruction of the second runway is being carried out, which will increase its capabilities. New facilities were built in which aircraft were installed. "These structures protect against possible attacks of battle drones, as well as from rain and direct sunlight."
Of course, someone will ask, but what about Putin’s statement on the withdrawal of the Russian air forces, made in December 2017. The main forces in December were indeed withdrawn. But the necessary to protect the base and conduct one-time operations remained. Today at the base in Hmeimim are about 30 aircraft of various types. These are SU-35С, Su-34, Su-24 aircraft, Mi-35 and Mi-8AMTSH helicopters.
And the last one. The Russian air base did not affect the operation of the civil airport. Basil Al-Assad International Airport, better known as Latakia Airport, is actively used today by the Syrian side. Its joint use does not interfere with civilian aircraft.
We will stay long
I specifically spoke in sufficient detail about what our bases in Syria look like today. First of all, in order to make it clear that we have come for a long time. We got a great opportunity not only to keep the region under control, but also to actively monitor the most problematic areas of the Mediterranean.
Both Russian military bases are not autonomous. This is a single system, which in case of danger will provide a quick response to any enemy attack. And the improvement of these bases is ongoing. This means that the Russian army will no longer passively look at what some presumptuous politicians of other countries in the region are doing. This means that we are actively involved in international politics.
And the soldiers and sailors, officers, generals and admirals, who provided the construction and equipment of two military bases in a fairly short time, all that remains is to say thank you for the service.
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