The difficult international situation is forcing Russia to strengthen the facilities of the Armed Forces located outside the territory of our country. The location of military installations in other countries is regulated by international law. So, the Russian base in Syria is located there on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement.
How big is the first Russian base?
In fact, this is not a base, but a logistics point, which has the serial number 720. That is, it is an ordinary technical point created according to a single model. Information regarding the total number of such points in Russia refers to the section of military secrets, only top military leaders are aware of this. From open sources it is only known that many of these items are in dilapidated condition.
Today, 720 the world-wide PMTO - the Russian naval base in Syria (Tartus) - consists of three small warehouses, a dry dock, a parking for cars, two pontoon bridges, a wide berth made of concrete, a mooring berth, three harbors for civilian ships, one railway gauge and strong protective wall.
The device, location and size of the military facility are clearly visible from satellites of all interested countries.
How long have Russians been in Syria?
The beginning of official cooperation between Syria and Russia (then the USSR) dates back to the 50s of the last century. Negotiations about the need for Soviet troops to stay in Syria were at that time between Nikita Khrushchev and Shukri Al-Quatli, the then president of Syria.
In practice, it took more than 20 years for the first Russian base in Syria to open. It happened in Syrian Tartus in 1971 under Hafez Assad, the father of the current president.
It must be recalled that 1971 is the time of the height of the Cold War. A logistics point was needed to service the 5th Mediterranean squadron of ships of the USSR Navy. The opponent of this brigade at that time was considered the 6th fleet of the US Navy.
Soviet ships came to this point for repairs and refueling, as well as to replenish supplies of food, fresh water and equipment.
A bit of history
The confrontation during the Cold War between the USSR and the USA was serious. After the Second World War, the Mediterranean Sea was completely controlled by the USA, Great Britain, and since about 1950 - by NATO forces. Even then, the United States considered it vital for itself to fully weaken the influence of the USSR, creating a nuclear threat for it.
For this, the 6th American fleet was armed with nuclear weapons, which hit the entire south-west of the USSR, which is almost all of Ukraine today.
In the 60s, the USSR managed to build submarines with ballistic missiles, which allowed our country to survive.
The creation of the 5th squadron was supposed to be a retaliatory threat to the United States, so that the opposing side took a balanced view of their decisions. Muscle-playing and an adequate response to the constant aggression of the USA and NATO made it possible for several generations of Soviet people to live in peace and security. A huge contribution to the creation of the squadron was made by admirals Gorshkov and Kasatonov, who saw more clearly than others the real threat to the existence of the USSR.
The Russian base in Syria arose solely as a response to international aggression. A simple analysis of the sequence of events reveals a causal relationship.
Events after the collapse of the USSR
In the 90s, the squadron fell apart, as was then. Until 2007, the PMTO barely “breathed”, servicing Russian ships that occasionally entered the Mediterranean Sea. The staff at that time was … as many as 4 military personnel.
Since 2010, the Russian base in Syria has been subject to modernization in order to be able to serve there aircraft carriers and cruisers that appeared on the arsenal of the Russian Navy. It was also planned that ships serving combat duty to protect civilian ships from Somali pirates would be served here.
However, these plans were not destined to come true, since a civil war broke out in Syria. Only civilians were left to serve PMT. The military was withdrawn to avoid possible provocations and unfavorable international resonance.
In March last year, the Syrian government turned to Russia with a request to expand its military presence. However, the creation of a full-fledged military base in Syria was refused, so as not to provoke an intensification of the international conflict.
But PTMO was modernized, cleared and deepened the fairway, updated the infrastructure, installed protective equipment, increased the number of staff to 1700 people. Tartus has both military personnel and civilian personnel.
The base of Russian aviation in Syria
Tartus is not the only Russian military location in Syria; there is also an air base in Latakia. The story of its creation is completely different.
The beginning of work is September 30, 2015, it is on this day that the Order of the Supreme Commander is dated. The base was created after the appeal of the current Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with a request for help in the war with ISIS.
Earlier, Russian bases in Syria did not have such a representation, limited to the presence of a limited group of military specialists, namely, teachers of the Academy in Damascus, translators and military personnel of other specialties.
The Russian base in Syria (Latakia) was created on the material base of the Hmeimim International Airport.
This base was created literally out of the blue in the desert from Russian components. Everything needed was delivered to Latakia by air: containers, air conditioners, window units, shower cabins, catering equipment, beds and tables, soft equipment and utensils.
Excellent living conditions have been created for our military, which are strikingly different from stationary barracks. Distribution of hot food, repair and refueling of aircraft are carried out around the clock. The journalists who gained access to Russian bases in Syria are for the most part shocked by the speed and quality of work, as well as the intensity of sorties.
Shelling a Russian base in Syria
According to various sources, the shelling of Khmeimim occurred on November 26, 2015. It is reported that several rounds of self-propelled guns were fired. There are no official data on victims in the public domain.
This shelling of the Russian base in Syria, as well as the destruction of a Russian aircraft in the sky over Turkey, led to the fact that now our troops are protected not only by standard air defense systems, but also by the latest Russian development of the S-400 Triumph. The speaking name is justified: the latest anti-aircraft missile system destroys absolutely all air and space attack means in the reach zone, which is 600 kilometers.
Why do we need all this?
Even for someone who has nothing to do with international politics, just look at the geographical map. After this, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the list of natural resources of this region, as well as the clash of interests of all countries located here.
It becomes obvious that if the situation is left to chance, then a big war looms on the horizon with the inevitable involvement of Russia in it. Russian military bases in Syria are a real shield for our relatively peaceful life, a hope for a fair world order.
Dark sides of world history
Sometimes, in order to understand the motives for the actions of a country, it is enough to familiarize yourself with its history.
From the school course, we remember that Columbus discovered America. But who "ruled the ball" there?
Indigenous peoples of America - Indians - lived quietly on the continent, until in the 17th century immigrants from the Old World arrived there. People who did not find a decent place to live in their countries fled there. These were landless peasants who did not have professions. The criminals were sent there, not wanting to spend money on their maintenance.
Locals met visitors with an open mind. They taught them to hunt and fish, cultivate the forest, look for edible plants, and generally helped to survive. But a person who does not have a moral core cannot be changed by anything.
Immigrants took full advantage of the naivety and purity of the indigenous population. For cheap rum and shining rubbish, they bought furs, land, gold, and eventually drove the Indians from their patrimonial lands, leaving them with one opportunity - to be slaves. So, the central part of New York stands on the ground, which was bought from Aboriginals for $ 24 - a set of beads and knives cost so much, this was the price of a “fair exchange”.
From the 17th century to the present, basically nothing has changed, except perhaps the scale of the scams. Nowadays, it becomes incredibly shameful what rubbish and false promises our society “bought” just a few years ago. We are also perceived from across the ocean as naive natives who need to be "blessed" in our own way.
