Russia Renews Flights to Syrian Air Base in Rebuild of Relations

Russia has resumed military flights to its Hmeimim airbase in Syria after an almost six-month hiatus, as the two countries work to rebuild relations following the toppling of Moscow’s ally, Bashar al-Assad.

At least two Russian aircraft have flown to Latakia, Syria, where the base is located, according to data from flight-tracking site Flightradar24. A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-62M transport plane flew from Libya to Latakia and then onto the Moscow region on Oct. 26, while an Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan, which has heavy cargo capacity, arrived at the airport three times since Oct. 24, with the most recent flight on Wednesday, according to the data.