Russia has used its Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval base to support Bashar al-Assad in Syria's 13-year civil war. But Assad's government has now collapsed.
Images show Russia dismantling equipment at an air base in Syria and loading it onto cargo planes after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, according to the Washington Post.
Satellite images taken by commercial company Maxar on the morning of December 13 show two An-124 cargo planes at Russia's Hmeimim airport opening their doors to receive equipment.
Nearby, a Ka-52 attack helicopter and an S-400 air defense system are being dismantled. They will likely be transported by cargo plane, Maxar said.
Russia has used its air base 25km south of Latakia to support Mr Assad in Syria’s 13-year civil war. This week, Mr Assad fled Syria as opposition forces took control of Damascus.
Russia has also used Hmeimim to project power across the Middle East and Africa. In 2017, Russia signed a 49-year lease on the facility.
The Russian naval base at Tartus, built during the Soviet era, supports ships in the eastern Mediterranean.
Analysts say that with the amount of Russian equipment in Syria, a complete withdrawal will take time.
“It’s clear that a withdrawal is underway,” said Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But “it’s not clear at this point whether Russia will withdraw completely or partially.”
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over Syria when Mr Assad's government collapsed. Moscow says it is in talks with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and has no plans to leave Syria.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters on December 12: "The bases remain on Syrian territory as before. No other decisions have been made."
However, the Washington Post points out that Russia has been reorganizing many of its assets in Syria. Ships left the Tartus naval base 10 days ago to operate offshore. Russian troops also left smaller bases in Manbij and Kobane earlier this week.
