Russian ships return to Syrian Tartous base ahead of expected withdrawal

Two Russian ships linked to its military have docked at the Kremlin's naval base on the Syrian coast at Tartous, with experts suggesting that an anticipated evacuation of the facility has finally begun.

The Sparta and the Sparta II docked in Tartous on Tuesday. Both ships are sanctioned by the US and have been linked to the transportation of Russian arms by Ukraine.

Analysts anticipated that Russia would reduce its military footprint from Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December - which it supported throughout the civil war.

Large quantities of military hardware have been moved to the port in recent weeks and have been visible in satellite photos analysed by BBC Verify.

The imagery appears to show dozens of vehicles and other equipment sitting at the port. The hardware first appeared in mid-December following footage of large columns of Russian vehicles moving north towards the base - indicating they had been redirected from other outposts across the country.[BBC]