A “terrorist act” sank the sanctioned Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean this week, the Kremlin-backed company that owns the vessel has claimed.

The transfer marks the end of an era when Russia played an arguably oversized role in determining which countries could operate in Syria’s contested airspace.

The rapid downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad has touched off a new round of delicate geopolitical maneuvering between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Losing Syrian military bases would hurt the Kremlin’s attempts to project power in the Middle East and Africa.

Russian forces have completely withdrawn from most of their positions in Syria, but they remain at the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus port. Moscow plans to fully withdraw its troops by February 2025,

Former CNN Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty says that Vladimir Putin spinning Russia’s withdrawal from Syria as a victory could be a preview of how he will frame any possible ceasefire with Ukraine.

The Tartous naval base is its only Mediterranean repair and resupply hub, and Hmeimim is a major staging post for military and mercenary activity in Africa.

Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies showed what appear to be cargo planes at a Russian military airfield in Syria with their nose cones opened to receive heavy equipment, along with helico

Although Russia has managed to avoid an economic collapse, its war with Ukraine and military involvement in Syria have negatively affected its economy.

It’s uncertain how much success Russia is having while negotiating with Syria’s dominant forces to retain its naval and air bases in the country. Kremlin’s ambitions in the Middle East and Africa might take a hit.

Russia is nearing an agreement with Syria’s new leadership to keep two vital military bases in the Middle East state, a key objective of the Kremlin after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.