Illustration of how potentially dangerous situation with Russian bases in Syria is. Why would Russians give such leverage to Turks and Erdogan without reason is beyond me.
HTS has around 1000 fighters stationed around the Hmeimim. They are, literally, outside the main gate.
https://t.me/rybar/66735?single
Khmeimim under siege: nuances of negotiations with militants in Syria
Against the backdrop of the SVR statements about preparations for an attack by militants in Syria on the Khmeimim base, several clarifications should be made to complete the picture.
Yesterday, militant resources already posted photos from checkpoint #2 and wrote that the General Security Service allegedly conducted a raid on the territory of the airbase and took away all the “regime accomplices” hiding there. Needless to say, this all turned out to be a lie, and the photos were taken from the outside?
There are indeed over a thousand militants stationed around the base - and it is not possible to determine whether they are HTS militants or ultra-radical groups. If there is an escalation, all these beasts will, of course, try to storm the base, but will face normal resistance, not a war in the spirit of the Syrian Arab Army.
For the HTS leadership, interaction with Russia is beneficial: it gives a trump card in putting pressure on other groups, plus, in this way, it is possible to bargain for scarce grain and oil products in exchange for the base, thereby bringing the benefits of civilization to Syria and legitimizing the presence of the Al-Julani gang.
In general, for now a certain status quo is developing with the base. Surely, Russian negotiators (including on the Chechen line) will press for the need to eliminate odious and radical groups (maybe they will be sent first to storm the Kurdish-controlled areas).
But a rather curious situation has emerged: the presence of a Russian air base (and the benefits that Russia can provide) has now turned out to be extremely necessary for HTS. And this must be used.
#Russia #Syria #terrorism
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