This project is becoming particularly important not only in the context of the current situation in Syria, but also in general for the Russian presence in the vast region from the eastern Sahel to the Middle East.

The Russian base will be located near Port Sudan, the country’s main and only point of access to the sea. This part of Sudan is sparsely populated and poorly developed infrastructurally. The number of base personnel can be estimated at 300 people with simultaneous maintenance of no more than four ships.

The importance of the Port Sudan base should not be reduced solely to the naval component. It is the key to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, as well as access to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

By the way, it is important to clarify the very status of the agreement with Sudan. There is a difference between an agreement only on the construction and operation of a military-industrial complex and a more comprehensive agreement on military cooperation. Most likely, we are talking about a full-fledged cooperation agreement, which will include an air component and, possibly, the deployment of units of the African Corps, which is currently only building its logistics chains based on Mali and Niger. And as they expand, they will require both jump airfields and a new supply chain.

The agreement with Sudan, if implemented, will dramatically increase the capabilities of not only the Russian Navy in the region, but it can seriously strengthen the entire contour of the Russian presence in the vast region from the eastern Sahel to the Middle East. And it’s a six- to seven-day march to Gibraltar.

https://vz.ru/world/2025/2/14/1314632.html