Russia is moving supplies to Syrian bases, satellite images show.

Analysts say Russia is moving large amounts of military equipment into Syria, signaling preparations for a partial withdrawal.

Satellite images show military vehicles massed at a Russian-controlled port and airbase in western Syria.

Transport planes have also come and gone in the country in recent times.

BBC Verify has also produced geolocation videos showing vast columns of Russian military trucks moving north towards the bases.

The Institute for the Study of War says this indicates preparations for a complete withdrawal or reduction of Russian forces.

The Washington-based think tank added that moving military vehicles to its bases could be a precautionary measure while Moscow negotiates with the new government in Damascus.

Russia had a significant military presence in Syria during the regime of Bashar al-Assad – helping him stay in power after civil war broke out in 2011.

Its two most important bases are the port of Tartus, which was established by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and then expanded and modernized by Russia in 2012, and the airbase of Hammeim, which has been operational since 2015 and is fully operational. Used for airstrikes in Syria. In support of Assad

Both have become key strategic bases for Russia – giving it easy access to the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean.

However, Assad has fallen. Questions have been raised about Russia’s future presence in Syria.. Moscow wants to negotiate with the new government.

On Monday, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said “no final decision has been made” and that Russia was “in contact with representatives of the forces that are now controlling the situation.” [Syria]”

BBC Verify has been monitoring the activities of Hammam Air Base using satellite imagery from Planet Labs. There are signs of continued activity, including large military transport aircraft. Two large Antonov An-124 planes, which can be used to transport assets out of Syria, were seen at the base on Friday. They had left by Tuesday, but by Wednesday morning the two large planes were back at the base.

More photos taken by Maxar Technologies on Sunday show dozens of military vehicles parked at the airport near a Russian-made Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane, which could be used for evacuation.

BBC Verify tracked a large Russian Antonov An-124 on aircraft tracking website Flightradar24 from Tuesday. His publicly available tracker showed him traveling in Russian airspace towards Syria. It then disappeared from the Flightradar24 Syrian coast, west of Hammeim Air Base, possibly with its public tracker turned off. It can be seen heading north after the next six hours.

David Heathcote, intelligence manager at MacKenzie Intelligence, said rapidly The end of the Assad regime This meant that Russia had no plans to free up resources.

He described the activity at Hammeim air base as “unusual” and said that Russia was accumulating some resources at the base and was preparing to withdraw some equipment and personnel from Syria.

Tayfun Ozberk, a former naval officer and defense analyst, agreed that the images “indicate the early stages of a Russian withdrawal from Syria, with clear signs of an airbase withdrawal.”

“The presence of Il-76s, the absence of Russian aircraft in Tartus, and the pre-arrangement of vehicles and equipment support this conclusion,” Mr Ozbrik said.

BBC Confirmation reported last week how Russian warships had left the port of Tartus.Analysts believe they are currently deployed in international waters.

Those ships have not returned — but more than 100 military vehicles have arrived at the base in recent days, satellite images show.

Mr Heathcote said it was likely the vehicles were being prepared for evacuation, although this was unlikely to happen immediately due to the absence of loading ramps and cranes.

Recent footage also shows large columns of Russian vehicles moving – suggesting they have been redirected from other Russian outposts around the country.

BBC Verify geo-located the videos to a major highway, suggesting they were heading north towards the bases.

The 80-second video posted on X shows a long line of Russian vehicles, located 30 kilometers south of Homs. Another video shows a column of Russian vehicles on the same highway 70 kilometers outside Damascus.

“Russia is now withdrawing units and military equipment that were stationed in about a hundred strongholds across the country before the fall of Damascus,” said Anton Murdasov, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute Syria Program.

Additional reporting by Ned Davis.