Putin identifies war-torn African country as Syria replacement
The fall of Damascus is a strategic blow for Putin and logistical nightmare for the Russian military.
It has been three weeks since Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad was overthrown by rebels, starving Vladimir Putin of a vital strategic hub in the Middle East.
The loss of such a crucial ally was seen as a strategic blow for Putin, who had used his military might to help Assad cling onto power for more than a decade.
Since Damascus fell and Assad fled to Moscow, Russia has launched multiple flights to an airbase in the Libyan desert as it seeks an alternative stopover location for its ongoing activities across Africa.
Flight-tracking data analysed by CNN show more than one flight a day since mid-December – by Moscow’s giant Antonov AN-124 transport planes, as well as Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft – from Hmeimim to al-Khadim, a base near Benghazi in eastern Libya.
The fall of Syria has forced Russia to retreat en-mass from the country, with several videos on social media showing Russian convoys being pelted with rocks as they head out of the country.
Much more has left via the air, with flights departing Syria headed for Russia, Belarus and increasingly, Libya.
Hmeimim airbase, in the Syria’s south east was a crucial hub for Russia, allowing them to a geographically convenient base from which to launch missions across Africa and the Middle East.
Russia is known to have mercenary operations ongoing across the continent in countries such as the Central African Republic, Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso, with crucial logistics being supplied by the Syrian airbase.
Many see the increase in flights to Libya as a concerted effort by Russia to find an alternative location from which to continue to support such efforts.
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Analysts at the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats project said in a briefing note: “Russian flights to Bamako via Libya demonstrate that Russia has already turned to Libya as an alternative to its Syrian bases.”
It added that the flights are not consistent with the previous pattern of Russian Africa Corps rotations to Bamako.
Russia’s Africa Corps, is the successor to the Wagner group which was effective subsumed by the Russian Defence Ministry following the unsuccessful coup attempt by its now deceased leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Russia is understood to have solid relations with Libya and its self-declared leader Gen. Khalifa Haftar.
Russian defence minister, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has made several visits to the country in recent years with Russia believed to be keen to obtain use of the country’s deep ports to enable naval operations.
