The memorandum of understanding, announced on August 9, 2026, covers the Hmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval facility, both of which have served as cornerstones of Russia’s regional military presence for nearly a decade. The agreement is the culmination of 18 months of negotiations that began almost immediately after President Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed in December 2024. What the deal actually doesUnder the MoU, both Hmeimim and Tartus will be converted from purely Russian-operated military installations into joint training centers. Russia’s continued logistical support was, according to reporting on the negotiations, part of what made the agreement workable in the first place. For Russia, Tartus is Moscow’s only naval facility on the Mediterranean, a port that gives the Russian Navy a logistics and maintenance hub far from home waters.