The head of the Defense Committee in the Russian State Duma, Andrei Kartapolov, stated that the security of Russian military bases is guaranteed.

According to what was reported by the Russian news agency “RIA Novosti,” Kartapolov said on Monday, December 8, that the military security of Russian bases in Syria is ensured by the bases themselves and the Russian armed forces, which play a vital role there and will continue to perform these tasks according to President Putin’s directives.

Regarding the opposition factions that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime, an ally of Russia, Kartapolov mentioned that these factions know that if they approach the bases, they will “receive a blow, and this is where the agreement came from.”

Recently, there has been discussion about the future of Russian military bases following the fall of the Assad regime and the entry of opposition factions into the capital Damascus, controlling parts of the Syrian coast, where the most prominent Russian bases in Syria are located.

The most important Russian military points in Syria, considered as Russia’s foothold in the region and its outlet to the Mediterranean, are the Khmeimim air base in the Latakia countryside and the Russian military base in the city of Tartus on the Syrian coast.

Between the middle of 2023 and 2024, Russia increased the number of its military sites in Syria compared to 2023, rising from 105 to 114 sites, according to the Jusoor for Studies center.

The Russian bases consist of 21 bases and 93 military points, distributed across 17 sites in Hama, 15 in Latakia, 14 in al-Hasakah, 13 in Quneitra, 12 in Aleppo, 8 in rural Damascus, 8 in Raqqa, 8 in Deir Ezzor, 6 in Idlib, 4 in Homs, 3 in Daraa, and two sites each in the Damascus, As-Suwayda, and Tartus governorates.

Since the opposition factions launched the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation on December 27, Russia has withdrawn from a number of military sites but has carried out airstrikes on residential homes, resulting in civilian casualties.

Since Russia’s military intervention in Syria, the military course has changed, the map of control has altered, and the Syrian regime has expanded in areas controlled by the opposition, which has also affected the political process.

During the military intervention, the Russian air force carried out more than 100,000 combat sorties in the skies of Syria, according to statements made by the Russian air force commander sent to Syria, Yevgeny Nikiforov, during a celebration for Russian forces at the Khmeimim air base in the Latakia countryside on August 12, 2021, marking the 109th anniversary of Russian combat aviation.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), Russian forces have killed 6,969 civilians, including 2,055 children and 1,094 women, since their intervention in Syria until June of last year.