Russia resupplied its air base in Syria via a cargo ship last month, signaling Moscow’s intention to maintain its strategic military base in the country, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports, Anadolu reports.

Neither Russian, Syrian nor American authorities have commented on the report. Citing unnamed U.S. officials and reviewed satellite images, the WSJ reported Monday that the freighter Sparta left the Russian city of St. Petersburg in March and arrived in the Syrian port of Tartus in May.

The report described the delivery, made while the ship was escorted by Russian navy vessels for most of its journey, as the first such supply mission since the fall of Bashar’s regime. al-Assad.

According to some US officials, the ship was carrying equipment for the nearby Russian airbase in Khmeimim. The report noted that its owner is under US sanctions for sending weapons on behalf of Russia.

The move shows that Russia has maintained use of the base despite the fall of Assad, the report said.

WSJ quoted Aron Lund, a Syria expert at the Swedish Defense Research Agency, as saying that he believes Russia succeeded in persuading Damascus to retain control of the bases. The report said the ship is part of a small fleet that Russia has used for clandestine shipments of weapons and other military equipment to the region. “Some US officials said the Sparta supply mission did not raise alarm bells because the Syrian government’s ties to Moscow are known and the military equipment is far from American interests, mainly in the northeast of the country,” he added. The report noted that Russia has pulled many of its personnel out of Syria after the fall of Assad, citing a US official familiar with intelligence assessments as saying hundreds of Russian personnel remain in the country.

Russia maintains two major military facilities in Syria: a naval logistics base in Tartus and the Khmeimim airbase in the northwestern province of Latakia. The future of the facilities was discussed during a meeting between Syrian officials and Russian President Vladimir Putin in January, the report added.

Source: prizrenpost