Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s supposed “withdrawal” from Syria, Russia’s military presence in Syria is still significant enough to warrant continued coordination of Syrian air space with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Putin announced a withdrawal of what was supposed to be the “main” contingent of his forces March 14, claiming that most of the Russian military’s objectives in Syria were “generally accomplished.” Shortly after the announcement, the Pentagon noted that eight to 10 Russian aircraft were seen leaving Syria, but Russia’s military presence appeared largely unchanged. U.S. and Russian officials conducted a video conference Thursday to discuss an ongoing “memorandum of understanding” regarding Syrian air space.
“The two sides committed to adhering to the MoU [memorandum of understanding] on flight safety as long as each side is operating in Syria,” said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook in a press statement. “Today’s meeting follows previous video conferences between the Department of Defense and the Russian Ministry of Defense on this topic. The conversation was constructive and the two sides agreed to continue safety discussions in this format in the future.”
When asked by reporters during a press briefing Thursday morning, British Maj. Gen. Doug Chalmers, the deputy commander of Operation Inherent Resolve, denied that Russian forces had made a significant withdrawal. Instead, Chalmers said coalition forces have only seen a “partial withdrawal of some capabilities.”
Russian operations in Syria have focused on supporting forces belonging to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Islamic State forces in Palmyra. Thanks to Russian support, Assad’s forces have vanquished ISIS forces from the ancient Roman city over the weekend.
The few Russian forces that do withdraw will leave with a stronger hand than they had before their intervention late last year. First and foremost, it is clear that Russia’s ally Assad, who was once thought to be all but beaten a year ago, has now made a firm comeback. Second, Russia has secured the Syrian port of Tartus, a crucial staging area for its navy. Third, Russia has empowered its air presence in Syria through its new airbase in Khmeimim and the installation of the advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
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