How important is Syria's geostrategic value to Russia?

Strategically, Syria is not only an important fulcrum of Russia's Middle East strategy, but also closely related to Putin's great power strategy to some extent. Syria is a bridge connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, and its geographical location is very important. The United States has military bases and allies all over the Middle East, and Syria can be said to be Russia's only ally in the region. Although Moscow and Tehran are also very close, it is difficult for them to form an alliance because of their great power ambitions, and there are still differences on the Caspian Sea issue. Since Syria has nothing to do with Arab-Israeli, anti-terrorism, Kurdish ethnic issues and other hot issues in the Middle East, but also has close relations with Iran, the relationship between Russia and Syria is bound to affect Russia's influence and interests in the whole Middle East. "Syria is as important to Russia as Israel is to the United States, and Syria can protect Russia's interests under any circumstances." After the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, the United States and Sunni Middle Eastern countries intend to take the opportunity to overthrow the Shiite Bashar regime, and then further isolate and subvert the Iranian regime in the Shiite stronghold, thus thoroughly promoting the comprehensive adjustment of the pattern in the Middle East. In this context, the west is facing the strategic squeeze of NATO and the threat of the European missile defense system. If we lose our sole foothold in the Middle East again, Russia will not only lose its access to the South Indian Ocean, but the United States will also form a strategic encirclement of Russia after gradually solving the intractable regime in the Middle East. If so, not only Putin's great power strategy is impossible, but also Russia's security and territorial integrity will be severely challenged. Moreover, if Syria is abandoned at a critical moment, other partners in Moscow will feel chilling and Russia's international status will be challenged. Therefore, no matter from the perspective of geopolitics or regional security, Syria is of vital importance to Russia, and stabilizing Bashar regime means safeguarding Russia's strategic interests in the Middle East to the greatest extent. As Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moalem said: "Syria has not been abandoned by Russia, and relations between the two sides in various fields have continued to develop. We thank Russia for its support. Russia is not only protecting Syria, but also protecting itself. "

2. Militarily, the port of Tartus in Syria is the only Russian naval base (logistics supply) with military nature overseas, which has important geostrategic value. Since its withdrawal from Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, the port of Sutartus has become Russia's only military logistics base outside the post-Soviet space and the only fulcrum of the Russian navy in the Mediterranean. During the Cold War, relying on the port of Tartus, the Fifth Fleet of the Soviet Union (Mediterranean Fleet) and the Sixth Fleet of the United States launched a long-term confrontation and confrontation, which has important strategic significance for the Soviet Union to maintain its existence and influence in the Mediterranean region. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, despite the dissolution of the Mediterranean sub-fleet, Russia still rented Tartus Port as a "material technical support station" to provide logistical supplies for Russian warships entering and leaving the Mediterranean. At present, Russia has two military wharves, 1 material storage warehouses and multiple barracks in Tartus port, and S-300 air defense missile system is deployed around it, which can effectively cover a large area of airspace in southern Syria. Before and after the Syrian crisis, Russia modernized and upgraded the port of Tartus, enabling it to park large warships such as cruisers and aircraft carriers. From the geostrategic point of view, the Mediterranean is an important strategic zone, and the Tartus port base is indispensable for Russia to maintain its influence in the Mediterranean region and even to the south Indian Ocean. The Syrian opposition failed to guarantee that Moscow could keep its base after the regime was overthrown, which is also unacceptable to the United States. If the current regime in Syria collapses, it will be difficult for Russia to maintain this foothold in the Mediterranean. Therefore, even after the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, Russia still provided the Bashar regime with advanced weapons and equipment, including light weapons, armored vehicles and "fortress" shore-based anti-ship missile systems. Now the most elite 4th Armored Division in Syria has been equipped with the most advanced T-90A tank in Russia, which is said to be able to effectively resist the Dow anti-tank missiles provided by the United States to the Syrian opposition.