Russia has maintained close ties with Syria since the 1950s . Even so , Russian-Syrian relations did not improve for several years and were actually quite testy until 2005 . The Syrian government is a staunch ally of Iran and its Shiite Muslim allies in Lebanon, which have fought alongside it against Sunni rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Russia revitalized their naval facilities in Syrian port of Tartus in recent years . Russia fears losing influence in its biggest Middle East ally if the al-Assad regime falls .
Russia has maintained close ties with Syria since the 1950s . The Syrian government is a staunch ally of Iran and its Shiite Muslim allies in Lebanon, which have fought alongside it against Sunni rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Russia revitalized their naval facilities in Syrian port of Tartus in recent years . Russia fears losing influence in its biggest Middle East ally if the al-Assad regime falls .