Russian Airbase in Syria Unaffected by Blackout - Russian Military

A blackout that affected all Syrian provinces has no impact on the work of the Russian Hmeimim airbase in the Latakia province.

LATAKIA (Syria)(Sputnik) — A power grid blackout in Syria has not affected the work at the Hmeimim airbase in the Latakia province where a Russia air group is deployed, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

"All services are carrying out tasks in normal operation mode," ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said, adding that Hmeimim has enough power generators to ensure the uninterrupted work of the airbase.

Syria's SANA news agency reported earlier on Thursday that all of Syria’s provinces have been affected by severe power supply interruptions.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Islamic State, which is banned in several countries, including Russia.

Numerous Syrian towns have been cut off from the electricity since the civil war broke out, including Damascus, which has been experiencing power failures, as Islamic State gained control of large swaths of land in oil-rich Syria.