Russia withdraws hundreds of troops from Damascus - Financial Times
Russia has withdrawn at least 400 soldiers from the Damascus region. This happened after negotiations with the new Syrian leadership.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Financial Times.
In addition, according to Kamal Lababida, a representative of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, negotiations are underway to evacuate more soldiers throughout Syria.
It is known that Russian soldiers were stationed at the headquarters of the Fourth Division of the Syrian Army in Qudsayya, a suburb of the capital. And the Russian military, who were stationed at the embassy in Damascus, left Syria last week.
The Financial Times notes that the future of Russia's presence in Syria is unclear. Moscow has provided troops to support Assad, but its withdrawal from Damascus is a sign that it is winding down its presence.
This week, according to Lababidi, Russian military envoys met with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to negotiate the safe passage of the convoy. He said that "the Russians came, but only to coordinate the retreat of the bases."
He said that the Russians left Damascus in a convoy by land to Moscow's Khmeimim air base in northwestern Syria. From there, planes took the soldiers back to Russia.
Although there are no plans to close the embassy, Lababidi said a Russian official told him that diplomatic activity would be reduced.
The loss of the Hmeymim air base and Moscow's naval base in Tartus would be a strategic problem for Russia, which uses the two bases as logistical centers for its activities in the Mediterranean and Africa.
Analysts suggest that in exchange for keeping these bases, Russia could offer the new Syrian government money, energy or minerals, as well as political support.
As a reminder, on November 28, after four years of relative calm, fighting between Bashar al-Assad's forces and opposition groups resumed with renewed vigor on the outskirts of Aleppo.
November 29 Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which leads a coalition of opposition forces in Syria, entered Aleppo and clashed with government forces on the western outskirts of the city.
On November 30, the Syrian Armed Forces announced a "temporary withdrawal of troops" from Aleppo to prepare a counteroffensive against the opposition forces.
On December 8, it became known that the Syrian opposition had taken Damascus and announced Assad's escape.
Answering a question about the future of the bases, Lababidi said that Russia is not currently evacuating Khmeimim, but rather withdrawing personnel from other bases located there.
According to the sources, several prominent Syrian families close to the Assad regime are also hiding in the Russian embassy in Damascus under Moscow's protection.
