Russia also faces the loss of its Tartus naval base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast as well as Khmeimim air base, which was established in tandem with its 2015 military intervention on Assad’s behalf. Satellite imagery reveals that Russia has evacuated large numbers of military personnel and equipment from its Syrian bases and has withdrawn from the interior regions of the country. At the end of December, Russian forces were only present at Khmeimim air base and the Tartus port, and Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Russia plans to fully withdraw troops by February 2025.

The overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad dealt a crushing blow to Russia’s aspirations to great-power status. Due to its military overextension in Ukraine and intelligence failures prior to the rapid-fire offensive carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Russia was unable to defend its strongest ally in the Middle East.

The overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad dealt a crushing blow to Russia’s aspirations to great-power status. Due to its military overextension in Ukraine and intelligence failures prior to the rapid-fire offensive carried out by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Russia was unable to defend its strongest ally in the Middle East.

Russia also faces the loss of its Tartus naval base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast as well as Khmeimim air base, which was established in tandem with its 2015 military intervention on Assad’s behalf. Satellite imagery reveals that Russia has evacuated large numbers of military personnel and equipment from its Syrian bases and has withdrawn from the interior regions of the country. At the end of December, Russian forces were only present at Khmeimim air base and the Tartus port, and Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Russia plans to fully withdraw troops by February 2025.

Though these setbacks mar Presi