The situation of the Russian forces in Syria

Cameras spotted a Russian convoy heading from the south of the capital towards the coast, as reports revealed that Russia had begun withdrawing its forces from the front lines in northern Syria and some locations in the coastal mountains, but it hadn’t yet left its main bases after the fall of Assad’s regime.

Satellite images captured two Antonov AN-124 aircraft, one of the largest cargo aircraft in the world, at the Hmeimim base, with the noses of the two aircraft open in preparation for loading.

In a friendly meeting with the commander of military operations Ahmed al Sharaa, (al Julani) at the Sheraton Hotel in Damascus, al Sharaa spoke about the relationship with Moscow, noting that the operations management tried to maintain a balance with the Russians during the battles.

He also added that the military management sent signals to Moscow indicating the possibility of targeting its bases, but preferred to give a chance to build a new relationship.

He stressed that Russia began to feel exhausted from supporting the Bashar al Assad regime despite its attempts to save it several times.

Sharaa explained that Russia began to withdraw its forces from its positions far from the Syrian coast, and the next step will be to negotiate the status of the Russian presence in the country.

A source in the Military Operations Department confirmed that the withdrawal had taken place, and that some Russian forces had headed to Libya.

Meanwhile, some of the forces would be stationed at the Hmeimim base only, with the possibility that the Syrian government was in a negotiation phase to determine the future of the Russian presence.

According to a high-ranking Syrian officer in contact with the Russian army stated that Russia had transferred some Syrian equipment and officers to Moscow.

However, he clarified that this withdrawal isn’t final, but rather aims to regroup and redeploy according to developments on the ground.

For his part, an official in the Syrian opposition confirmed that the Russian military presence is still under discussion and that the Syrian people will have the final say in this regard.

The Kremlin, for its part, clarified that discussions with the new Syrian government regarding Russian bases are still ongoing, and that Russia has not withdrawn from its bases in the country.