“The cargo ship “Sparta”, which Russia sent to remove its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down during the movement, the crew of the Russians is adrift in the open sea near Portugal. Source: GUR Verbatim: “The cargo ship “Sparta”, which Russia sent to remove its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down during movement – the fuel pipe of the main engine failed.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: GUR
Literally: “The cargo ship “Sparta”, which Russia sent to transport its weapons and equipment from Syria, broke down during the movement – the fuel pipe of the main engine failed. The Russian crew is trying to eliminate the problem and is drifting in the open sea near Portugal.
Advertising:
Meanwhile, the remnants of the Russian contingent in Syria have finished withdrawing from remote areas and are in only two places – at the air base in Khmeimim and the naval base in Tartus.
Details: Russia began to transfer some of its weapons and equipment from the port of Tartus by sea to Libya.
Also, the Russian military in Syria is actively discussing the possibility of completely withdrawing its military contingent from Syrian territory, in particular from the bases in Khmeimim and Tartus, no later than February 20, 2025.
This step is allegedly related to the desire of the new government in Damascus to achieve the lifting of international sanctions.
Prehistory:
- The Assad regime held power in Syria for 24 years and collapsed after a 12-day offensive by rebels led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or the Levant Liberation Organization, ended on December 8 with the capture of the capital, Damascus.
- According to ISW, the loss of military bases in Syria could seriously undermine the Kremlin’s ability to conduct operations in Africa. This will weaken Russia’s position in Libya and the countries south of the Sahara, and will also call into question its influence on African authoritarian regimes.
- The Russian state agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported that the deposed Syrian President Bashar Assad and his family are in Moscow, and Russia has given them asylum.
- On December 10, Ukrainian intelligence reported that the Russians had engaged ships and military transport planes, which are loading remnants of troops, weapons and equipment and returning from Syria to Russia.
- On December 12, Bloomberg wrote that Russia is approaching an agreement with the new leadership of Syria on the preservation of bases at the naval port in Tartus and at the Khmeimim air base.
- After negotiations with the new Syrian leadership, Russia withdrew at least 400 soldiers from the Damascus region. A representative of “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” said that negotiations are underway to evacuate more soldiers throughout Syria.