After the collapse of Assad, the Kremlin's staunchest ally in the Middle East who has fled to Moscow, Russia appears to be turning to diplomacy to preserve its influence in Syria, engaging in a flurry of activity with the rebels it had labelled as terrorists only days earlier.
The Tartus facility gives Vladimir Putin access to a warm water port, while Moscow has used the Khmeimim airbase as a staging post to fly its military contractors in and out of Africa.
A map showing the location of Russian bases on the Syrian coast illustrates their strategic importance, as Moscow seeks to secure these locations amid the shifting political landscape.
The key question now, observers said, is whether Russia manages to reach an agreement with Syria's new leaders to hold on to its bases.
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