Regarding the Russian military contingent in Syria, the current situation is as follows: the ground component of the Russian forces is preparing to be redeployed by ships to Libya, but a certain portion has already been delivered directly to Russia. However, the fate of the aviation component at the "Khmeimim" base remains uncertain, which includes combat aircraft such as the Su-24M and Su-35.
In particular, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports in its latest announcement that several landing ships and formally civilian vessels are heading to the shores of Syria to evacuate the Russian contingent.
For clarity, it is worth specifying that the cargo ship Sparta is the vessel mentioned on December 23, which reported breaking down on the way to Syria to pick up Russian soldiers.
Additionally, the data regarding the Russian landing ships currently en route to Syria is particularly noteworthy. For instance, on December 22, the passage of the Russian landing ship "Ivan Gren" of project 11711, belonging to the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, was recorded through the Strait of Gibraltar.
It is also important to note the satellite image of the Russian naval area in Tartus, taken on December 25, 2024, and published by OSINT analyst MT_Anderson. This image shows what is likely one landing ship of project 775, which may have arrived there in the last days of December 2024.
If we add to this fact the indication that the commander of the 121st brigade of landing ships is even aboard the landing ship "Alexander Otrakovsky," it may indicate that the Kremlin plans to carry out a propaganda "mega-operation" with the redeployment of its troops by sea to Libya.
As for the Russian airbase in Khmeimim, there is a video circulating on social media from the "Al-Jazeera" channel dated December 30, 2024, showing the presence of at least 10 combat aircraft of types Su-24M and Su-35, as well as several transport aircraft types Il-76, An-72, and An-26, along with at least one An-30 aircraft for aerial reconnaissance.
It is also worth noting that the Russian military at this base is not interfering with the flight of this drone, the footage from which suggests that the Russians at this base may have already burned a significant number of their documents, and they have indeed managed to withdraw a portion of the equipment that was recorded in satellite images as of mid-December 2024.
Earlier, Defense Express also reported that satellite images indicated strange details regarding the withdrawal of Russian military forces from Syria.