The Syrian government is beginning to implement a strategic plan to regain control over key military facilities that were previously used by Russian forces, according to Chatham House.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara, speaking on April 1, 2026, at London’s Chatham House, officially announced the intention to transform the remaining Russian bases into modern training centers for the national armed forces. This decision marks a fundamental shift in the country’s post-war military infrastructure. According to the Syrian leader, of the dozens of bases formerly under Moscow’s control, only two remain today, and the authorities are taking steps to convert them into training grounds for the Syrian army.
These two last major facilities are the naval base in Tartus, which was Russia’s only full-fledged Mediterranean naval base, and the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia, which served as the main center for Russian air operations in the region.
Earlier, Russia’s military presence in Syria was much larger, including around 21 bases and 93 outposts across the country. However, after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, Russia began a large-scale withdrawal of its units, leaving most frontline positions.
In the weeks following the change of power, Russian forces vacated northern, eastern, and mountainous regions, concentrating around Tartus and Khmeimim. Throughout 2025, the withdrawal continued, with restrictions on Russian personnel movement beyond these bases and occasional limits on Russian naval access to the port of Tartus.
Currently, Russia’s presence in Syria is extremely limited—a contingent of several hundred to a thousand personnel, mainly technical staff, security units, and a reduced air component, which is incomparable to the scale during Assad’s rule.
In early January 2026, Russian forces began evacuating the Kamishli airbase in the northeast, near the Turkish border. Eyewitnesses reported loading personnel and military equipment onto Il-76 transport planes for relocation, further confirming the systematic reduction of Moscow’s military influence.
