I realized we were approaching a Russian military installation when I saw the names of shops, cafes, and pharmacies inscribed in Russian in the nearby villages.
The Russians have been stationed here permanently since 2017, bolstering the Assad administration and overseeing the conflict against various adversaries. The local population has seen financial gains due to their presence.
However, how long this arrangement will endure appears to be the topic of negotiations between Moscow and Syria’s new administration, as their stay is not guaranteed.
At this moment, what we are aware of is that Russian convoys are retreating from several bases throughout Syria, making their way toward the Mediterranean Coast.
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Main entry point to Russia’s Hmeimim military base in Syria
Along a dusty road close to the primary Russian gate of Hmeimim air base near Latakia, I observed a procession of Russian military vehicles making their way past the stores labeled in Russian.
These included armored fighting vehicles, personnel carriers, armored police trucks, and supply trucks, some emblazoned with the letter ‘Z’ – widely associated with the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian military vehicles poised at the entrance of Hmeimim air base
Yet this conflict has come to a conclusion.
The Russian personnel aboard the vehicles seemingly attempted to disregard our presence, or ducked down into the gun turrets to evade being recorded.
Above, a Russian helicopter gunship routinely surveyed the area against the backdrop of clear blue skies, occasionally passing a large white observation blimp – a ubiquitous sight at major military installations globally.
Occasionally, jets would roar overhead, some poised for landing, others taking off, while transport aircraft, among the largest in the world, taxied across the runway.
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It is a bustling base, seemingly becoming even more active – convoys have been arriving over the past few days.
The entrance to the civilian airport, sharing the runway, is now secured by HTS fighters. They appeared relaxed, resting next to pick-up trucks outfitted with high-caliber machine guns.
HTS soldiers securing the military airport
I inquired of one of the soldiers on duty, Zakaria Harir, regarding his directives and whether they communicated with the Russians inside.
“The significance of this airport’s location is immense, and that’s why we’ve been assigned to this post,” he informed me.
“As soldiers, we have no interaction with them [the Russians], but there could be coordination between them and the national military council.”
No one is certain what will transpire with the Russians, but they are reportedly in the process of withdrawing to Russia’s primary bases on the coastline, one of which is the Hmeimim base.
A Syrian tank being loaded onto a vehicle by HTS fighters
On the route to Latakia, which is also taken by some of the Russian convoys, the vast number of destroyed or abandoned Syrian army vehicles – tanks, rocket launchers, trucks, armored vehicles, and troop carriers – is truly remarkable. It stretches for miles upon miles.
Some are charred and perforated with bullets, making it evident that despite the swift advance of the rebels, there were significant gun battles here. As we traveled, we noticed low-loader trucks reversing toward tanks on the main road.
HTS soldiers were utilizing bulldozers to load the tanks onto the vehicles, and the tanks seemed to be functional.
HTS soldiers in the vicinity of Hmeimim air base
A soldier informed me that these vehicles had either been abandoned by withdrawing Syrian army tank crews or had malfunctioned. They were collecting the tanks to transport them to workshops for repairs – some required merely new batteries, while others needed an oil change.
It seems as though they are in the process of creating a new Syrian army, repurposing and utilizing the remnants of the previous one.
The regime as we knew it has vanished, and the soldiers of its principal supporter are withdrawing. Syria is transforming at a rapid pace – just a week ago, it was engulfed in conflict.
