In the summer and autumn of 2015, after the conclusion of an agreement between SYRIA and RUSSIA, concerning the help to the Syrian government forces, a flow of military and humanitarian supplies streamed to government forces from RUSSIA to SYRIA. The uninterrupted logistics operation was unofficially called the "Syrian Express" and is considered to be the largest foreign Russian operation of this kind since the USSR's participation in the war in AFGHANISTAN. "Syrian Express" keeps attracting close attention of foreign experts and the media.

The cost of conducting the entire Russian military campaign in SYRIA in foreign sources is estimated at $ 2.5 to $ 8 million a day, and such low costs for an active military campaign are associated, among other things, with the smooth and relatively cheap transport of cargo by sea.

The main starting point of cargo to Syria is called the ports of SEVASTOPOL and NOVOROSSIYSK. Earlier in SYRIA, for reasons of secrecy, Russian cargo transfer has been unloaded in the port of Mina al-Beyd to the north of LATAKIA, however since the beginning of RUSSIA´s open campaign in SYRIA, the main port is the Russian base in TARTUS.

In the fall of 2016, Russian engineers have also repaired and put back into operation an updated railway from TARTUS to the Russian military base in KHMEIM, which greatly simplified the transfer of cargo from the coast.

To send cargoes by sea, Russia uses “project 775” large landing ships (LLS). According to foreign analysts, the Russians use five ships of this class (Azov, Korolev, Yamal, Novocherkassk and Caesar Kunikov) and the base in TARTUS accepts at least two such ships in month. One LLS is capable of carrying up to 12 tanks and armored personnel carriers, 340 soldiers and 500 tons of various cargo.

Large landing ships of “project 1171” are also involved in the logistic operation. Three ships of this class are used: "Saratov", "Nikolay Vilkov" and "Nikolay Filchenkov". The LLS of this class is capable of transporting up to 20 main battle tanks, or 45 armored personnel carriers, or 50 trucks, and 300-400 assault troops. The ship can carry up to 1000 tons of various cargo. The base in TARTUS takes at least one such ship per month.

According to Turkish sources, the Dinitsa-50, Kyzyl-60, Vologda-50, Kazan-60 class ships, purchased from TURKEY and UKRAINE, as well as SPARTA III and SPARTA II, were also involved in the Syrian express by Russian Navy.

As reported in Reuters, the former Ukrainian dry cargo ship "Georgy Agafonov", idle and rusted for many years, was bought from UKRAINE by a Turkish company for 300,000 USD in 2015. The idea was that the ship should have been scrapped. The TURKISH company has sold the ship to another offshore company, and in autumn 2015 the former "Georgy Agafonov" turned into "Kazan-60" and became an auxiliary vessel of the Russian Navy.

Ensuring the safety of the passage of Russian ships and ships through the Bosporus was undertaken by TURKEY, especially after the murder of the Russian ambassador to TURKEY, Andrei KARLOV. In May this year, there were reports that the Islamists are planning to attack the "Syrian Express." Turkish media wrote that the country's intelligence services monitor 146 points on the coast on the transit route of Russian ships, from where terrorists could somehow conduct an attack.

Some Turkish newspapers also wrote that all Russian ships in the strait are accompanied by two coast guard boats of TURKEY and a police helicopter. However, in the numerous photographs of the passage of Russian ships through the Bosporus, no Turkish "escort" is observed.

TURKEY monitors the passage of Russian ships, and on the site Turkishnavy.net you can find records of each ship that passed through the Bosporus Strait. From the beginning of 2017 through the end of May, 83 Russian ships passed through the strait.

As for tankers and other cargo ships, it is difficult to assess how many of them went to SYRIA, as RUSSIA traditionally uses this sea route for deliveries to EUROPE.

In addition to the sea route, the air route is also actively utilized. The An-124, Il-76, An-72 and Tu-154 planes are used. Cargo is delivered from RUSSIA to the base in KHMEIMIM and to DAMASCUS airport by An-124 and Il-76 planes almost every day.

It was on the An-124 in 2015 that the S-400 Triumph SAM´s, Mi-8AMTSH-V multipurpose “Terminator” helicopters, Mi-24 & Mi-35M helicopters, and other large cargo was delivered promptly during the campaign's beginning.

An-72 is used on the base in KHMEIMIM for transportation inside SYRIA (to DAMASCUS and ALEPPO), while Tu-154 is used to transport VIP´s, personnel, advisers, special forces, but also especially valuable cargoes from RUSSIA.

According to foreign sources, RUSSIA supplies thousands of tons of cargo to SYRIA monthly. In December 2015, after several months from the beginning of the operation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that in two months 214 thousand tons of various cargo was transported by military transport aircraft and by sea. In 2016 SHOIGU said that two thousand tons of cargo are sent to Syria daily.

In the spring of 2017, Russia has also began to modernize its base in TARTUS. Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Federation Council Viktor OZEROV earlier reported that exploration works have already started, mainly consisting of the laying of a pipeline for fuel and strengthening of the port´s walls. The main works in TARTUS will be developed closer to the end of 2017, the modernization will take from 1 ^½ to 2 years.

In TARTUS, up to 11 Russian ships can be observed at the same time. Modernization of the port will also enable the aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" to be docked. With the modernization of the port, its role as a logistics base will also increase. It is obvious, that RUSSIA´s presence in SYRIA will be long and serious.