Kremlin spokesman: We haven’t decided the fate of our bases in Syria yet

Amid growing questions about the future of Russian military bases in Syria after the fall of Moscow’s ally, former Syrian President Bashar al Assad, the Kremlin has stressed that no final decisions have been made on the matter.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news conference on Monday that decisions on the fate of those bases were still under discussion, but no final decision had been reached yet.

In response to a question about whether Moscow might consider moving its bases to Libya as an alternative to Syria, Peskov confirmed.

Peskov indicated, that there are no final decisions yet, and Russia is in contact with the forces currently controlling the situation in Syria, adding that these issues will be determined through dialogue.

Peskov’s comments came after reports that Russia is in talks with the new Syrian authorities to maintain its military presence in Syria.

Russia operates two major bases in Syria: the naval base in Tartus, established in 1971 under an agreement with the former Syrian regime, and the air base in Hmeimim near Latakia, which was established in September 2015 to support the Syrian army in its war against the Islamic State group.

Despite reports of the recent withdrawal of some Russian vehicles and personnel from Syria, sources confirmed that the two bases are still operating as usual, especially since Russia considers them its gateway to the Mediterranean, which strengthens its geopolitical position and facilitates its access to African countries with Russian interests.

This comes at a time when Hay’at Tahrir al Sham and other armed factions launched a surprise attack last month, which led to the fall of Aleppo, Hama and Homs within a few days, reaching Damascus on the seventh of this month, and the former Syrian government announced hours later the fall of the regime and the escape of Assad, who was granted asylum by Russia.