Do we know how many Russian and Chinese operations are around the world?

 Yes, the scope of Russia's global military footprint is well-documented, though it functions very differently than the American model.

Russia maintains approximately 20 to 25 significant military facilities and bases outside its globally recognized borders. If you include individual outposts, checkpoints, and smaller communication nodes, that number expands to around 50 to 52 operational sites. [1, 2]

Unlike the United States—which distributes its 750+ bases across every continent—Russia’s foreign footprint is heavily concentrated within former Soviet republics (the "Near Abroad") and a few highly strategic geopolitical hubs in the Middle East and Africa. [1, 2]

1. Major Conventional Bases (The Near Abroad)

The vast majority of Russia's external military forces are stationed in neighboring countries to maintain regional influence and secure its perimeter:

• Tajikistan (201st Military Base): Russia's largest unified ground base forward-deployed abroad, housing roughly 7,500 troops, armored vehicles, and artillery. [1, 2]
• Armenia (102nd Military Base): Located in Gyumri and Yerevan, this base hosts thousands of personnel, MiG-29 fighter jets, and air defense systems. [1, 2]
• Kyrgyzstan (Kant Air Base): A vital air component facility that hosts Russian fighter jets and attack aircraft. [1]
• Belarus: Russia utilizes several critical early-warning radar installations (like the Hantsavichy Radar Station) and long-range naval communications facilities, alongside a rotating combat presence. [1]

2. Strategic Power Projection (Middle East & Africa)

To project power beyond the post-Soviet sphere, Russia relies on a small handful of key installations:

• Syria (Tartus & Hmeimim): This is Russia's primary foothold in the Mediterranean. Tartus Naval Base is Russia's only naval facility outside the former Soviet Union, and Hmeimim Air Base serves as its primary hub for air operations in the region. [1, 2]
• Africa Footprint: Over the last few years, Russia has rapidly expanded its operations across the Sahel region and parts of Central Africa. Operating out of domestic infrastructure, Russian state-backed military instructors and security detachments have established permanent operational footprints in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Libya, and the Central African Republic. [1]

3. Special Strategic Infrastructure & Disputed Territories

Russia also operates deep-space tracking, missile defense, and disputed territorial garrisons:

• Kazakhstan: Russia leases the massive Sary Shagan missile test site and the Baikonur Cosmodrome (the world's first and largest operational space launch facility).
• Disputed / Occupied Zones: Russia maintains large-scale military bases in the breakaway regions of Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia), as well as a garrison of roughly 1,500 troops in the Transnistria region of Moldova. [1, 2, 3]

~> Tell me about China.

 China’s approach to its global military footprint differs fundamentally from both the United States and Russia. While the U.S. relies on hundreds of traditional garrisons and Russia focuses on regional security in former Soviet states, China operates a highly targeted network of only three recognized overseas military bases. [1]

Instead of building massive troop garrisons, Beijing primarily uses a "dual-use" strategy—investing in commercial, state-owned deepwater ports around the world through its Belt and Road Initiative that can be rapidly converted to support the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy if needed.

The three official overseas installations include:

1. Djibouti (The Horn of Africa)

Opened in 2017, the PLA Support Base in Djibouti is China's first official overseas military base. [1]

• Purpose: Strategically located at the mouth of the Red Sea, it was initially built to support anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden.
• Upgrades: It has since been heavily fortified. It features a massive 1,300-foot pier capable of docking large Chinese warships and aircraft carriers, alongside hardened underground facilities and a heavily armed garrison.
• Geopolitics: In an unusual arrangement, it sits less than 10 miles from the primary U.S. military hub in Africa, Camp Lemonnier. [1]

2. Ream Naval Base (Cambodia)

Located on the Gulf of Thailand, the Ream Naval Base is a joint facility that marks China's second overseas base and its first naval outpost in Southeast Asia. [1]

• Presence: Though Cambodia officially states its constitution bars foreign military bases, extensive Chinese-funded expansion has given the PLA Navy exclusive access to a newly constructed pier.
• Strategic Value: The pier is deep and long enough to accommodate Chinese aircraft carriers, providing the PLA with an invaluable maritime stronghold positioned right on the edge of the South China Sea.

3. Ban Keun (Laos)

The newest addition to China's network is the Joint Flight Training and Support Centre at Ban Keun, Laos, which officially opened. [1]

• The Facility: This installation marks China's first overseas air force facility. Satellite imagery reveals a newly constructed 2,000-meter (6,500 ft) runway, aircraft parking spaces, and training facilities. [1]
• Strategic Value: Built partially over an old airstrip from the Vietnam War era, this landlocked base sits fewer than 110 miles north of a major Royal Thai Air Force base. It primarily serves to train regional pilots, but it is fully capable of hosting Chinese jet trainers, transport aircraft, and fighter jets. [1, 2, 3]

Other Operational Footprints

Beyond these three installations, China maintains specialized outposts and is actively negotiating for more:

• Tajikistan Outpost: China operates a modest, low-profile military outpost in the remote Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, near the Wakhan Corridor, primarily used for border surveillance and counterterrorism.
• Future Ambitions: According to Pentagon assessments, China is actively pursuing logistics and basing arrangements on the Atlantic coast of Africa (with a strong focus on Gabon and Equatorial Guinea), which would establish its first true footprint facing the Americas. [1, 2]