en.Wedoany.com Reported - Russia plans to establish and operate a commercial logistics center within the naval base at Syria's Tartus Port, with an initial target monthly cargo volume of approximately 250,000 tons. The first shipment will consist of 30,000 tons of grain, with operations expected to begin in mid-July. The project is being developed by Syrian logistics company Rus Line in cooperation with the Russian-Syrian Business Council, aiming to maintain and expand Russia's influence in the country through economic channels.
Tartus Port is Russia's main naval base in the Mediterranean. After former President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in 2024, Moscow lost its staunchest ally in the Middle East. Russia hopes to maintain an economic presence in Syria through this project. According to Syrian officials interviewed by Reuters and company documents and statements reviewed by the agency, the logistics center will operate at one of two berths, while the other berth will remain reserved for the Russian Navy. Syrian officials said Moscow is seeking to maintain its influence through economic ties, while Washington is trying to ensure that Syria awards contracts to American companies and curbs Russia's military presence.
Mazen Alloush, a spokesman for Syria's General Authority for Ports and Customs, denied that Russia would operate a commercial logistics center at the port, calling such reports "completely false" and stating that any projects involving ports and border crossings would only be announced through official government channels. After Assad's fall, Syria's new government canceled a 49-year contract granting Russian company Stroytransgaz the right to develop commercial facilities in Tartus and signed a 30-year, $800 million concession agreement with Dubai's DP World to redevelop the port. However, on June 6, 2025, the Russian-Syrian Business Council announced plans to establish a "Russian goods distribution center" in Tartus. The project is being developed by Rus Line in cooperation with Russian companies under the Russian-Syrian Business Council, and organizers said they have reached an agreement with the Syrian Sovereign Fund on the joint management of the logistics center.
Ossama Ajaj, General Director of Rus Line and an advisor to the Russian-Syrian Business Council, said the center will initially handle Russian wheat, grain, animal feed, vegetable oil, timber, steel, clinker, coal, rice, sugar, and mineral oil. Jinan Mubadda, CEO of Rus Line, said the center will operate at Pier 4 of Tartus Port. Ajaj and two Syrian Foreign Ministry officials said the project was proposed during a meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on January 28. Ossama Ajaj said Russia will maintain a "reduced military presence." The project aims to establish a regular maritime route connecting Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk with Tartus, from where goods will be distributed to Syria and neighboring countries. Key target markets include Iraq and Jordan, followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.
The commercial logistics center will enhance Moscow's already significant economic role in Syria. A Syrian customs document shows that approximately 85% of Syria's imported wheat—2.9 million tons for the 2025-26 season—comes from Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea. Since Assad's fall, Syria's dependence on Russian crude oil imports has also increased, receiving about 16.8 million barrels of Russian oil in 2025 and an estimated 60,000 barrels per day in the first few months of 2026. U.S. Representative Joe Wilson attached an amendment to the Pentagon budget requiring an assessment of options to reduce Russia's influence in Syria and ensure the withdrawal of its forces. A U.S. State Department official said the United States is closely monitoring Russian-backed commercial and logistics projects and encourages Syria to cooperate with "trusted business partners—especially American companies."
