Jets scream overhead and soldiers drop down into gun turrets - outside Russia's military base in Syria

14 December 2024, 18:11 | Updated: 15 December 2024, 05:45

I knew we were near a Russian military base when I could read the names of shops, cafes and pharmacies written in Russian, in surrounding villages.

The Russians have been permanently based here since 2017, propping up the Assad regime and overseeing the war against their many opponents. And the local communities have benefitted financially from their presence.

But for how long this will all last is apparently the focus of talks between Moscow and the new government in Syria because they may not stay.

For now, though, what we do know, is that Russian convoys are withdrawing from bases across Syria and are heading for the Mediterranean Coast.

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On a dusty road near the main Russian entrance to Hmeimim air base near Latakia, I could see a convoy of Russian military vehicles trundling their way past the Russian-named shops.

They were armoured fighting vehicles, troop carriers, armoured police trucks, and supply lorries, some marked with the letter 'Z' - synonymous of course with the war in Ukraine.

But this is a war that is over.

The Russian soldiers onboard the vehicles basically tried to ignore us, or simply drop down into the gun turrets to avoid being filmed.

Above us, a Russian helicopter gunship constantly patrolled the area in bright blue skies, occasionally passing a huge white observation blimp - a constant presence at all major military bases the world over.

Jets would occasionally scream overhead, some landing, some taking off, while transport planes, some of the largest in the world, taxied to and fro on the airstrip.