Russia has resumed military flights to its Hmeimim Air Base in Syria after nearly six months of inactivity, signaling renewed efforts by the Kremlin to reinforce its foothold in the Middle East and Africa amid growing global isolation.
According to Bloomberg, flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 shows at least two Russian aircraft — including an Ilyushin Il-62M and an Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan — traveling to the Syrian province of Latakia, where the Hmeimim base is located.
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The Il-62M reportedly flew from Libya to Latakia and then returned to the Moscow region on Oct. 26, while the heavy transport Ruslan made three trips between Oct. 24 and Oct. 29.
A Kremlin-linked source confirmed to Bloomberg that Moscow has resumed regular flights to its Syrian bases. These facilities — the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval port — have long been Russia’s primary strategic outposts for projecting military power across the region.
Even if Russia is able to maintain a presence, it will likely be smaller than before Assad’s ouster, sources familiar with the situation told Bloomberg.
A source in Ukraine’s Defence and Security forces, speaking to Kyiv Post on condition of anonymity, did not rule out that Kyiv could resume strikes on Russian military targets
The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime nearly a year ago and his subsequent flight to Moscow threw Russia’s military future in Syria into uncertainty.
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The country’s new transitional government, led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, has opened dialogue with Washington and European leaders, signaling a potential geopolitical shift that threatens the Kremlin’s long-standing dominance.
The Hmeimim base remains a critical logistics hub for Moscow’s operations in Syria, North Africa, and the Sahel. Losing it would mark one of the Kremlin’s most significant geopolitical setbacks since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov recently met with his Syrian counterpart Murhaf Abu Qasra in Moscow to discuss “continued military-technical cooperation.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier confirmed that President Vladimir Putin also raised the future of the bases during his recent meeting with Al-Sharaa.
Over the past two years, Kyiv Post has obtained and published a series of exclusive materials revealing the global scale of Russia’s covert military operations — and Ukraine’s intelligence counteroffensives targeting them.
- In November 2023, Kyiv Post released exclusive video footage showing Ukrainian special forces (HUR) conducting operations against Wagner fighters in Sudan.
- In January 2024, another exclusive video appeared to show Ukrainian drones destroying Russian mercenaries and local militant allies in Sudan.
- A month later, Kyiv Post obtained footage of Ukrainian intelligence (HUR) operatives interrogating captured Wagner fighters, who admitted they had been sent to overthrow the Sudanese government.
- In June 2024, the publication released unprecedented footage from the Golan Heights, Syria, where HUR special forces reportedly struck Russian-linked checkpoints and strongholds.
- By July 2024, Kyiv Post received further exclusive imagery showing Ukrainian HUR units striking Russian targets in Syria, including a Khymik Group operation that destroyed Russian equipment at Kuweires Airfield near Aleppo.
- In September 2024, Kyiv Post sources shared another video allegedly showing Ukrainian operatives attacking a Russian UAV production site near Aleppo, exposing Moscow’s growing use of Syrian territory to assemble and test strike drones.
In May 2023, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov promised to “destroy Russian war criminals anywhere in the world they may be.”
Last year, Kyiv Post also published exclusive photos of Tuaregs — nomadic tribes of North Africa who remain key players in regional conflicts. The images showed fighters posing with a Ukrainian flag after defeating Wagner mercenaries in Africa, a rare and symbolic moment of solidarity with Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression.
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