Russia withdraws military equipment from Syria’s Tartous port, images show

Russia rose its military withdrawal from Syria, and the removal of vehicles and containers from its port, the main void on the Mediterranean coast in the country, and the BBC analysis also suggests.

After the Assad regime falls in December, footage of the columns of Russian vehicles moving north towards the port. Satellite photos later showed the military devices that are stored there.

But the new photos published on Wednesday by Planet Labs showed that many materials have now disappeared, after the departure of ships associated with the Russian army.

This came at a time when Russian officials conducted “explicit discussions” with the new government in Damascus, Reuters said on Wednesday.

There were reports that the new Syrian government canceled the Russian rental contract in the port – but the government departments that BBC contacted will not confirm a final decision.

Tartous has been a major base for Russia in recent years, which allowed it to refuel, re -supply and repair ships in the Mediterranean. But the warships that have already been installed in the port It has not appeared in satellite images since the Assad regime collapsed – Supported by Moscow throughout the Syrian Civil War.

The Kremlin indicated that she wanted to maintain the base control, and said in December that she was talking to the new authorities about maintaining a presence there.

However, evidence indicates that Moscow has now decided to transfer valuable equipment away from the port. Satellite images also showed the removal of Russian devices from the nearby Hmeimim Airbase base for several weeks.

Ship tracking sites showed that two ships – Sparta and Sparta II – Ras in Tartous on January 21 and 22. Both vosers are owned by OboronLogistika LLC – a shipping company that works as part of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Both ships are punished by the United States and are associated with Ukraine by transporting Russian weapons. They are roll/roll ships that can carry vehicles.

SPARTA II left the port by Monday, according to data from the Marinetraffic tracking site. Satellite photos also revealed that a large amount of previously parked military vehicles near the ship are no longer there.

The ship’s tracker was briefly captured by Marinvik on Tuesday morning, indicating that he was traveling west across the Mediterranean near the Cyprus coast. But since then, no signal has been received, indicating that the tracking may have been turned off.

On Wednesday, satellite photos showed another ship – which experts identified as Sparta – also left the port. Pictures also show a large amount of suspended containers close.

There has been no signal from Sparta tracking on Sparta since it was installed in Tartous – indicating that it has also been turned off.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all ships over 300 tons to broadcast its signals at all times, with the exception of some limited conditions.

Ships may choose to turn off the tracking signal for legitimate reasons – such as moving in high -risk piracy. But according to NATO, it can also indicate that the ship tries to “hide illegal activities.”

Lieutenant and former Belgian naval analyst Ferdrik Van Lieutenant, Lieutenant and Lieutenant Lieutenant, said that the ship that left the port was Sparta, based on satellite pictures.

BBC Verify has previously monitored Sparta and the area that has now been empty now empty.

It is not clear where the ships go exactly. Mr. Van Lockern BBC has been verified that they could be on their way to Libya, where the Kremlin already include a great military presence that supports the war seeker in Tobruk Khalifa Haftar.

Last week, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence informed BBC that Russian flights had transported individuals and military equipment from the other Syrian Russian base – HMEIMIM – to the air bases in Libya at least 10 times since mid -December.

However, Mr. Van Lokeren also suggested that ships could be linked to Russia, saying that there is “a high possibility that military equipment is deployed on the confrontation line against Ukraine.”

“The movements indicate that Russia’s presence in Tartu was approaching its end.

“I don’t know if additional ships are needed to remove everything or not, but in my opinion this is largely unanimous,” he said. “It is just a time issue until Russia’s military presence is completed at the base. We will see what comes after it.”

Graphics by Mark Edwards.