Dozens of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles supplied by Russia proved useless to the new Syrian government
In early December 2025, more than a hundred T-62 tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other Soviet-made armoured vehicles were discovered in the province of Idlib. These had previously belonged to the Syrian Arab Army and had been supplied by Russia over the past ten years.
This was reported by Welat TV.
Back in 2017, the Syrian army received T-62M tanks from Russia, which had been decommissioned by the Russian armed forces and modernised with additional armour protection for the turret and hull. Tanks and infantry fighting vehicles were regularly delivered by sea to the port of Tartus, where the Russian naval base is located, in order to replenish the losses of the government army, which actively used the equipment in combat operations.
However, despite the supply of weapons, Bashar al-Assad's regime fell on 8 December 2024 after Damascus was captured by new forces. Assad fled to Russia, where he was granted political asylum.
Now, the military equipment left at government army bases has come under the control of the new Syrian government. Over the course of a year, the new authorities have gathered Soviet equipment, including that supplied by Russia, in a single storage facility. It is currently unknown whether this equipment will be returned to service or used.
Syria announced that it had foiled several attempts by ISIS to kill President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
