Enab Baladi – Omar Alaa Eldin
After the decline of military operations on the Syrian coast, a photo circulated on social media of a statement issued by the Russian Hmeimim base leadership, inviting displaced civilians to return to their permanent residences (homes) and establish their lives in a new community.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on March 13 that the base has provided shelter for more than 8,000 people, with the number potentially rising to 9,000 according to statistics, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
She explained that most of them are women and children, considering that this represents “the best response to questions about Russia’s true contribution to the fate of Syrians,” in her words.
Zakharova expressed Moscow’s shock at recent events, indicating that the victims were “innocent civilians,” and that the use of force against them “is completely unacceptable.”
She added that Russia is closely monitoring developments and strongly condemns what she termed “massacres,” expressing sympathy for the victims’ families.
The spokesperson emphasized that Russia expects the authorities in Damascus to assume responsibility for ensuring the legal rights of all Syrian citizens, regardless of their religious affiliations, noting that the Syrian leadership has affirmed its commitment to preserving national unity.
What did the Russians ask from the displaced?
On March 15, activists on social media circulated a statement from the Russian leadership at the Hmeimim airbase calling for civilians to leave.
The statement attributed the call for departure to the fact that “the base’s resources are limited, and it cannot provide residents with appropriate living conditions.”
The statement mentions that the current Syrian government is recognized as a legitimate government by the majority of countries and is making significant efforts to resolve the situation in Latakia province over the past ten days.
It stated that Russia will demand guarantees for the safe residence of civilians in their homes and temporary places.
The Russian base confirmed its continuous readiness to accommodate these civilians and refugees should events similar to those that occurred on the coast repeat, indicating that food packages are being provided to citizens departing.
The statement distributed to displaced civilians at the Russian Hmeimim base in Latakia – March 15, 2025 (Modified by Enab Baladi)
What do the displaced say?
A university student who was displaced to the base from the village of al-Asaliyya in the countryside of Jableh confirmed to Enab Baladi that they had distributed leaflets to them.
The student does not know whether leaving the base is mandatory or voluntary.
Previously, the displaced people at the base had refused repeated calls from the interim Damascus government to leave the base, citing “a lack of trust,” as she put it.
Conflicting sources from the displaced people at the base, including the university student, denied reports about girls being raped by Russian soldiers at the base, considering these reports “a big lie.”
Regarding the request to leave, sources clarified that the Russians conveyed verbal messages to the displaced that no one would be forced to leave, and the statement is a clarification to countries that Moscow is not holding the displaced people in the base.
A delegation from Latakia province visited the base on March 8.
Syrian state news agency SANA reported that a delegation from the Jableh area administration and General Security Administration arrived at the Hmeimim airbase to “reassure the people present and return them to their villages.”
The displaced people at the base demanded “international protection” and several times held demonstrations inside the base, refusing to leave until they received international guarantees.
A hidden role for the base
A security source revealed to Enab Baladi that coordination had taken place between the Russian Hmeimim base and the remnants of the previous regime to support what is known as the “liberation of the coast” operation.
Enab Baladi obtained audio recordings from fighters affiliated with the armed remnants, documenting communications with the Russian base, with commitments to provide support to these groups at the logistical and military levels.
The recordings verified by Enab Baladi show that the Russian soldiers are working “softly” with the Assad regime’s remnants, offering promises in exchange for their resilience on the ground.
The Russian base provided weapons and equipment to these groups from a gate near the village of Bustan al-Basha, which is about 2.7 kilometers away from the base, and this town administratively belongs to the city of Jableh in Latakia province.
It also provided ambulance services to the wounded from the regime’s remnants through the military gate overlooking the town of Batra in Jableh.
Russian officers asked the regime remnants to hold out in the battle with General Security Forces for 48 hours while awaiting the promised support from the Russian base, which in turn is waiting for final approval from the Kremlin to intervene directly, according to the armed remnants’ accounts in the recordings.
Moscow’s interest in intervention
In a previous discussion with Enab Baladi, military researcher at the Jusoor Center for Studies Rashid Hourani pointed out that Russia may have a role in supporting the remnants due to the stagnation of its negotiations with Damascus.
On January 28, the US agency Bloomberg reported from a source in Moscow that negotiations with the new Syrian administration have been stalled regarding its military bases on the Syrian coast, particularly the naval base in Tartus and the Hmeimim base.
The source revealed at that time that Russian activities in Hmeimim base have been reduced, and two Russian transport ships were forced to wait several weeks before Syrian officials allowed them to dock in Tartus to remove Russian military equipment.
The head of the transitional phase in Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, indicated in a conversation with Reuters on March 10 that there is a possibility of restoring relations with Moscow and a desire for no disputes with Russia, nor for the Russian presence in Syria to pose a risk or threat to any country in the world, while wishing to maintain this deep strategic relationship.
What happened on the Syrian coast?
On March 6, Assad regime’s remnants launched an attack targeting a security patrol in the town of Beit Aana, affiliated with al-Daliah in the southern countryside of Jableh, the hometown of the commander of the 25th Division, Suhail al-Hassan.
This attack resulted in casualties among the members of the General Security, part of the Ministry of Interior, igniting tensions throughout the coast.
The armed remnants also killed civilians in their attacks, while factions sent waves of fighters to the area, killing both civilians and military personnel.
The military operations led to the deaths of 803 people, including 39 children and 49 women (adult females), according to a report documented by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on Tuesday, March 11.
The report noted the death of at least 172 members of security and law enforcement forces and military (internal security forces and the Ministry of Defense) at the hands of armed groups linked to the Assad regime, in addition to the killing of no less than 211 civilians, including one humanitarian worker, as a result of direct gunfire carried out by these groups.
The network also documented the deaths of at least 420 people among civilians and unarmed militants, including 39 children, 49 women, and 27 medical staff, by the armed forces participating in military operations (the factions and disorganized groups that are nominally subordinate to the Ministry of Defense) during the security campaign.
The Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, held remnants of the former regime from the Fourth Division led by Maher al-Assad and an unnamed foreign allied state responsible for the bloodshed in the Syrian coast to incite unrest and create sectarian strife, acknowledging that revenge operations followed, in an interview with Reuters on March 10.