The activity of the Russian army beyond the borders of the country is now much lower than during the times of the USSR, however, until now, military bases of the Russian Federation abroad continue to operate. Moreover, in recent years, talk has begun about restoring Russia's military presence where Soviet military bases were once located.
Well, now let’s take a closer look at exactly where the Russian military bases abroad are located and what exactly their role is.
Abkhazia
The 7th military base located on the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia has a long and curious history. Once, back in 1918, an infantry division was formed on the territory of the current Lipetsk and Kursk regions. Then, after a series of reorganizations, this unit was sent to the Caucasus, where it managed to visit the infantry brigade, then the infantry division, the mountain infantry division. During the Great Patriotic War, the fighters of this division opposed the German mountain rangers tearing through the passes from the famous Edelweiss. After the offensive of the Soviet troops began, the division (at that time mainly consisting of the Cossacks of the Kuban) was reorganized from the mountain rifle to the Plastun, fought in the 4th Ukrainian Front, participated in the liberation of Poland and the Czech Republic.
After the war, the division changed numbers again. It trained soldiers for a group in Afghanistan, formed engineering battalions to liquidate the Chernobyl accident. Finally, in 1989, parts of the division were used for the first time in a peacekeeping mission - they separated the enemy parties during the conflict in Azerbaijan.
When the Georgian-Abkhaz war broke out, a contingent of peacekeepers deployed on the territory of Abkhazia was formed from parts of the division. After the 2008 war and Russia's recognition of the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia, a military base was created on the basis of peacekeeping forces, intended for joint use by Russian and Abkhaz troops.
Armenia
Relations between Russia and Armenia have traditionally been warm. And since 1995, the military bases of Russia in Gyumri and Erebuni have been located on the territory of this republic. The total number of Russian military there is about 4 thousand people - these are motorized riflemen, air defense fighters and military pilots. The task of the Russian military in Armenia is to cover the CIS from a possible air attack from the south.
According to the agreement signed in 2010, the military bases of Russia on the territory of Armenia will operate until 2044.
Belarus
Even more friendly relations connect Russia and Belarus. By agreement between our countries, Russian military facilities are located in Belarus, providing radar surveillance of the western direction and long-distance communications with Russian submarines on duty in the oceans.
According to unconfirmed information: it is possible that Russia will place military bases on the territory of Belarus in excess of the existing ones. It is assumed that these will be either airbases or air defense facilities.
Kazakhstan
Russian military bases on the territory of Kazakhstan are one of the largest among all the facilities of the Russian Ministry of Defense abroad.
Now in Kazakhstan, Russia uses:
partially - the Baikonur cosmodrome (for the period until all launches of military satellites are completely transferred to the Russian Vostochny and Plesetsk cosmodromes);
base of transport aviation in Kostanay;
landfill in Sary-Shargan;
communication centers of the space forces.
Tajikistan
Formally, only one military base of Russia is located on the territory of this republic, but it is the largest of those located abroad: units with a total number of over 7 thousand people are deployed in three cities of Tajikistan. According to the agreement between our countries, the task of the Russian military in Tajikistan is to protect the republic in case of aggression by neighboring states (this implies, above all, the possible invasion of armed units from the territory of Afghanistan), as well as stabilizing the situation in the republics. The latter is especially important because in Tajikistan there was a civil war for a long time.
In addition, for a long time, the Russian border guards carried protection of the southern border of Tajikistan. However, since 2004 they have been withdrawn from the republic, and now there are only instructors there who train Tajik border guards.
Finally, on the territory of Tajikistan there is a unique “Okno” space observation complex, which in 2004 was completely redeemed by Russia.
Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, there is a Russian military base - an airfield in Kant. Its task is to provide, if necessary, the prompt deployment of military and transport aviation of the CIS countries. The number of Russian military personnel at the base is less than 500, but there are aircraft: Su-25 attack aircraft and Mi-8 multi-purpose helicopters. For some time, the Russian air base side by side with the American one.
In addition to the air base, Russia uses several other facilities on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. Among them are the communication station with submarines Marevo (Prometheus), the test base Karakol of the Russian Navy (oddly enough, but in a country completely devoid of access to the sea, there is a fleet base!), As well as a military seismic observation station .
Transnistria
The status of Russian troops on the territory of this unrecognized republic remains rather confused from the point of view of international law. On the one hand, one of the largest military depots in Europe, established in the area of the village of Kolbasna back in Soviet times, requires protection. On the other hand, the Russian military, located in Transnistria, serve as a guarantee that the conflict between the PMR and Moldova will not go back to the “hot stage”. Nevertheless, although Russia does not recognize Transnistria as a state and advocates maintaining the unity of Moldova, an agreement on the deployment of the Russian military on its territory was never signed.
The current number of Russian military in the PMR is about one and a half thousand people: two peacekeeping battalions, guarding warehouses, a helicopter crew and several support units. This is all that remains of the 14th Army, which at one time extinguished the Transnistrian war. By the time the conflict began, the number of troops was 22 thousand troops, but the majority was then either withdrawn or (for units stationed in Chisinau and other Moldovan cities) transferred to the jurisdiction of Moldova.
Russian military bases in the world
In addition to countries that were formerly part of the USSR, Russia has military facilities in foreign countries. At the moment, there are two military bases:
Syria is the base of the fleet in Tartus. Due to lack of funding and the extremely difficult political situation in this country, the base is now practically non-existent and exists purely nominally. Plans for the proposed modernization and expansion of the base have not yet been implemented; all military specialists have been withdrawn from the site. Due to the ongoing civil war in Syria, the planned reconstruction of the base for 2015 remains in question.
Vietnam is the base of the aviation and navy in Kamrani. The base was actively used in Soviet times, but after the restructuring and collapse of the USSR it fell into decay. In 2001, the base was closed because the Russian fleet had not been in the Indian Ocean for many years and, accordingly, did not need a base. However, under a contract from 2013 in Kamrani, it was planned to create a joint Russian-Vietnamese submarine service point. Since 2014, the airdrome in Kamrani began to receive Russian refueling aircraft.
In addition, there is unconfirmed information that Russia will deploy military bases in several more countries. Typically, such assumptions are expressed about Cuba (the restoration of a radio intelligence base in Lourdes), but rumors are circulating about the possible creation of a Russian Navy base in Venezuela or Nicaragua. Whether this is so is impossible to say.