For the first time since the fall of Assad regime… Russian forces deployed outside the Hmeimim base

Local residents on the Syrian coast reported that Russian military forces have deployed in a number of villages surrounding the Hmeimim airbase for the first time since the fall of Assad regime in December 2024.

This deployment coincides with an intensification of Russian airstrikes in the area, with Russian aircraft breaking the silence the residents are experiencing.

Local sources indicated that Russian forces have reinforced their positions around the Hmeimim airbase and instructed members of the Syrian General Security and Defense Forces to evacuate their positions around the base, allowing them to be handed over to Russian forces under the pretext of securing and protecting the airport.

The sources add that the Russian deployment also aims to protect civilians seeking refuge in the base or surrounding villages from ongoing attacks.

Reports indicate that Russian General Alexander Rodionov ordered the military deployment around the base, while residents confirmed that this move aims to protect trapped civilians.

According to local accounts, the security situation in the villages surrounding the base remains volatile, with repeated kidnappings and attacks on civilians seeking safety inside the base.

The source in Hmeimim also confirmed that Russian forces treat civilians with respect, providing them with their basic needs of food, medicine, and shelter, despite difficult humanitarian conditions.
Russian aircraft continue to deliver humanitarian aid to the base on a regular basis.

Civilians continue to flock to Hmeimim base, fleeing the sectarian violence that has affected the Alawite regions on the Syrian coast, refusing calls from the Syrian government to leave and demanding international or Russian protection.

Despite the Russian statement calling on refugees to leave the base, claiming the situation had stabilized, Russian officers assured civilians that they wouldn’t be forced to leave and that they would continue to protect these refugees until they decided to leave.