so far, no Russian warships were seen in Tartus after the fall of the Assad regime in early December. Earlier high-resolution satellite images showed dozens of military vehicles parked near where the ships now stand. There were also cranes nearby that could be used for loading equipment.
It is possible that two more Russian naval ships are also in the port, naval analyst Frederik Van Lockeren told BBC Verify. He said that the ships “Ivan Gren” and “Aleksandr Atrakovskiy” could also be involved in the evacuation – this opinion was echoed by the Ukrainian military intelligence BBC Verify.
“After the termination of the 49-year lease, it became very clear to Russia that it could no longer rely on maintaining a military presence in Tartus, and therefore there seems to be no point in staying there and delaying a sea evacuation,” Mr. Van Lokeren added.
But the evacuation of all Russian equipment may take some time, according to Anton Mardasov from the Middle East Institute’s Syria program.
“A lot more has been brought there over the years than these ships and vessels can take,” Mr Mardasov told BBC Verify.
Meanwhile, fighting continues at the main Russian Khmeimim air base in Syria. Satellite images show large Russian jets being loaded with military equipment on various days since the fall of the Assad regime.
