Before the Russian ships are expected to leave, they will return to the Syrian military base in Tartus

Two Russian military-affiliated ships docked at the Kremlin’s naval base in Tartus off the coast of Syria, and experts have indicated that they have finally begun to leave the facility.

Sparta and Sparta II stopped at Tartus on Tuesday. Both ships have been sanctioned by the US and are linked to the shipment of Russian weapons to Ukraine.

Analysts had expected Russia to reduce its military footprint in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December – which has supported the entire civil war.

A large amount of military hardware has been moved to the port in recent weeks and has been seen in satellite photos analyzed by BBC News.

The footage appears to show dozens of vehicles and other equipment sitting at the port. Hardware It appeared for the first time in mid-December Followed by footage of large columns of Russian vehicles traveling north – showing they had been diverted from other hubs across the country.

The ships’ arrival coincides with reports by Syrian media that Russia has canceled the lease for the port. The new transitional government in Damascus refused to confirm the reports to the BBC, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment when asked at a news conference in Moscow.

Tartus has become a key base for Russia in recent years, allowing it to refuel, repair and maintain ships in the Mediterranean.

The Kremlin appears interested in taking control of the base, and in December Russian officials said they were talking to new officials about its continued presence.

Analysts said the Sparta and Sparta 2 – ultimately owned by Oboronlogistika LLC – a shipping company that operates as part of the Russian Defense Ministry, have been denied permission to sail to Tartus while negotiations continue. The ships spent several weeks in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Syria.

Marine tracking stations show that the ships finally stopped on Tuesday night, after which they turned off their transponders.

The weather in recent days has made it difficult to get clear satellite images. But images from the EU’s Sentinel radar satellites – low resolution but able to penetrate cloud cover – confirmed the ships were in the military sector of the port.

until now, No Russian warships were seen at Tartus. Since the fall of the Assad regime in early December. In earlier high-resolution satellite images, dozens of military vehicles could be seen parked near the docks. Nearby were cranes used to load equipment.

Two other Russian naval vessels are also likely to be in the port, naval analyst Frederik van Lokkeren told BBC News. He said that the ships Ivan Gren and Alexander Otrakovsky could also participate in the evacuation – this opinion was confirmed by the Ukrainian military intelligence to the BBC.

“With the cancellation of the 49-year-old lease, it has become very clear to Russia that it cannot hope to maintain its military presence in Tartus, and therefore there is no point in staying there and delaying the evacuation,” added Mr Van Lokeren.

According to Anton Mardasov of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program, the withdrawal of all Russian weapons may be limited.

“Over the years these ships and vessels have gone in there more than they can take,” Mr Mardasov confirmed to the BBC.

Meanwhile, activity continues at the main Russian airbase in Syria, Hamemeem. Satellite images show large Russian jets loading military equipment on different days since the fall of the Assad regime.

According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russian flights have transferred military personnel and equipment from Hammem to Libyan airfields at least 10 times since mid-December. The Kremlin is backing the Tobruk-based warlord. Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya.

Moscow has long had two bases – al-Kadim and al-Jufra – mentioned by the Ukrainian intelligence service. Dr Sorcha McLeod, a member of the United Nations’ working group on mercenaries, told BBC News that the facilities were previously run by the Wagner Group.

She stated that the Russian Ministry of Defense has taken over the responsibility of the place through the new African Corps. The power is directly controlled by Moscow Most of Wagner’s group has taken over the former role.

Dr McLeod added that the Russian military move to the country makes sense as Libya has become a major hub for Afrika Korp operations and access to West Africa.

Additional reporting by Ned Davies and Joshua Cheetham. Graphics by Mesut Ersoz.