Key Takeaways
- Reports of a specific blast in Homs, Syria, on December 26, 2025, resulting in five fatalities, could not be confirmed by recent news searches, though the region continues to experience significant violence.
- Contrary to a headline suggesting Russia is postponing military export contracts, recent reports from mid-December 2025 indicate Russia has successfully reversed a decline in its arms exports and increased its contract portfolio for the year.
- Older analyses from late 2024 and early 2025 had highlighted a significant slump in Russian arms sales, attributing it to a prioritization of supplying its own armed forces for the conflict in Ukraine and the impact of Western sanctions.
- Russia has also moved to terminate several post-Soviet military cooperation agreements with European nations, signaling a formal end to Cold War-era diplomatic frameworks amidst heightened geopolitical tensions.
Ongoing Instability in Syria's Homs Region
While a specific report of a blast in Homs, Syria, on December 26, 2025, claiming five lives from Syrian health officials, was not confirmed by recent searches, the broader region continues to grapple with severe and persistent violence. Syria has faced a power vacuum and widespread insecurity since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in December 2024.
Earlier in 2025, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented a surge in violent killings in Homs city between April 23 and 28, with at least 20 civilians killed in separate incidents. In August 2025, Homs Governorate topped the list for civilian fatalities across Syria, accounting for 29% of 91 documented civilian deaths that month. Furthermore, a report from December 2024 detailed 25 civilians killed in Syrian-Russian alliance air and ground attacks on northern Homs between December 5-6, 2024. A separate incident in February 2024 also reported five civilians killed in Homs countryside by a "terrorist group" while gathering truffles, according to Syrian state media.
Russia's Shifting Military Export Landscape
Recent developments present a complex picture for Russia's military export industry. Despite earlier expectations of a continued decline, Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov confirmed on December 17, 2025, that efforts to reverse the wartime decline in Russian arms exports had been successful, leading to an increase in the portfolio of contracts. This marks a significant turnaround from previous years.
Earlier in 2025, reports from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicated that Russia's arms exports plunged by 47% in 2024 compared to 2022, primarily due to Moscow prioritizing weapons production for its own military and the impact of Western sanctions. Analysts had warned in late 2024 that the sector's long-term health depended on a swift conclusion to the conflict in Ukraine, with revenues from arms sales projected to plummet to under $1 billion by the end of 2024, down from $14.6 billion in 2021.
However, the recent confirmation by Belousov suggests a successful transition to a new system for promoting Russian weapons to allies, with representatives from over 20 countries engaging with this system in 2025. This positive impact on military-technical cooperation has reportedly led to an increase in contract portfolios. Notable sales in 2025 included Su-35 and Su-57 fifth-generation fighter aircraft to multiple clients, including Iran, Algeria, and Ethiopia.
In a related move, the Russian government authorized its Defense Ministry on December 20, 2025, to terminate a series of bilateral military cooperation agreements signed with several European nations between 1992 and 2002. This decision formalizes the end of post-Cold War military-diplomatic frameworks with countries like Germany, Poland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, amidst current geopolitical tensions.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.