Russia’s Africa Strategy at Risk After Syria Regime Collapse
- Khmeimim airbase supplies CAR, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger
- Without air bridge, Russia strategy seen ‘hanging by a thread’
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The swift collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria threatens a key Russian airbase in the country that Moscow has depended on to project influence throughout Africa.
Russia uses the Khmeimim air base to send personnel and military supplies to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — all of which have experienced recent coups and cut ties with the West while moving closer to Moscow. That air bridge has enabled it to rebuild some of its Cold War-era clout on the continent, particularly in places like the Central African Republic and Sudan.