The Pentagon: Russia has established a military base near Palmyra, Syria
The Pentagon stated that Russia has established a military base in the vicinity of Palmyra, Syria, despite Vladimir Putin’s announcement in March that the majority of Russian troops would be withdrawn from the war-torn country, Rosbalt reported.
"It seems that they [Russia] created a kind of forward operating base, which gives them a base for a longer presence,” US Colonel Steve Warren stated during a videoconference from Baghdad.
According to him, Russia has not, in fact, reduced its troop levels in Syria.
“Their potential as a whole has not changed, it is virtually the same… they still have aircraft, ground troops and artillery there. These special forces are still helping the Syrian regime,” Warren told Voice of America.
A representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the base is a temporary camp of engineers who are working on demining the area around Palmyra.