Borisov said Russia now hoped to sign the deal to rent the port within a week, according to TASS. Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you In 2017, the Russian parliament ratified a deal with Damascus to cement Russia’s foothold in the country and pave the way for establishing a permanent military presence at naval and air bases in Syria. The ports and harbors located in Syria are shown on the map below. "It is just a symbolic place after the collapse of the Soviet Union (in 1991), showing we still have somewhere to send our ships. The population is 115,769 (2004 census). (Russian piers (5) off northern breakwater, most of the balance of facility — numbered buildings — within the dashed line belongs to the Syrian Navy).During the Syrian Civil War prior to Russian interventionDuring the Syrian Civil War prior to Russian interventionAs of early 2018 these boundaries are subject to change.Prior to 2013 it was under the direct control of the For organizational purposes it is currently under the aegis of the Black Sea Fleet; operational control however is normally exercised by the – A Russian naval vessel was photographed this week heading to the Syrian port-city of Tartous, which is also the location of the Russian Federation’s naval base in the Mediterranean. It is the second largest port city in Syria (after Latakia), and the largest city in Tartus Governorate. It is hoping to return a shipment of refurbished Syrian Hind helicopters, of the sort used in Syria's crackdown on rebels, despite Western protestsSyria has bought modern Russian air defence systems in recent years to try to stave off attack from IsraelThe Syrian crackdown has largely involved ground forces supported by tanks and armoured vehicles, artillery, mortars, helicopters and drones. Use the Port Index link on the left side menu to view an alphabetical list of the ports in Syria. Satellite imagery appears to show marine mammal pens were at the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, for a period in late 2018. These are external links and will open in a new windowSince Syria erupted into conflict last year, diplomats, spies and military strategists have struggled to work out what lies behind Moscow's staunch support of its Middle Eastern ally, the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.Mention is frequently made of Russia's Mediterranean naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartus which, along with multi-billion-dollar arms sales to Damascus, runs the argument, is why Russia will never abandon the Assad government.Not so, says a respected Moscow military think tank. Reporting by Angus McDowall and Vladimir Soldatkin, Editing by Alison Williams and Helen Popper Russia launched a military intervention to support Assad in 2015, turning the tide of the fighting in his favor. Tartus (Arabic: طرطوس‎ / ALA-LC: Ṭarṭūs; known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa and also transliterated Tartous) is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. The Tartus facility currently can accommodate four medium-sized vessels but only if both of its 100 m (330 ft) On 18 January 2017, Russia and Syria signed an agreement, effective forthwith, whereunder Russia would be allowed to expand and use the naval facility at Tartus for 49 years on a free-of-charge basis and enjoy sovereign jurisdiction over the base.In late December 2017, Russia announced it had set about ″forming a permanent grouping" at the Tartus naval facility as well as at its The Russian facility at Tartus has been used for delivering armaments and supplies by Russian In April 2019, senior Russian officials were reported to have had talks with the Syrian government; Russian deputy prime minister In the early 1970s, similar support points were located in Egypt, Ethiopia (In 1984, the Tartus support point was upgraded to the 720th Material-Technical Support Point.As Russia wrote off Syria 73% of its $13.4 billion In September 2008, a second floating pier was built at the facility, following the discussion of the issue between presidents of Russia and Syria in August.In July 2009, the Russian military announced they would modernise the Tartus facility.Media reports in March 2012 suggested that Russian special forces had arrived at the Tartus port.On 3 August 2012, international media reported that three large Russian In May 2013, a U.S. newspaper reported that Russia had sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near Tartus, a move that was seen as a warning to the U.S. and Israel not to intervene in the conflict in Syria.At the end of June 2013, Russian deputy foreign minister Map of the Tartus Syrian Naval Base Click on the port icons for a thumbnail view of the port. The United States and European Union imposed tough sanctions on Syria early in the conflict over what they described as atrocities carried out by the government, which it denies.