The Kremlin has not yet made final decisions on the fate of its military bases in Syria. According to Reuters sources, over the weekend Syrian officials reported that Russia was withdrawing its troops from the front line in northern Syria and posts in the Alawite mountains, but was not leaving the two main bases located in the country after the fall of President Bashar Assad., BTA reports.
The Kremlin assured that its relations with the new rulers in Syria remain active, without specifying specific future plans.
Main Russian bases to remain in Syria
Despite the withdrawal of Russian forces from certain front lines, Russia continues to control key military facilities. The Kremlin confirmed that it will not give up its main bases, which play a strategic role in the context of the situation in Syria and the region.
Diplomats and staff evacuated
Russia also confirmed that it had evacuated some of its diplomatic staff in Damascus, as well as diplomats from Belarus and North Korea, using a special flight of its air force that departed from the Khmeimim air base. This evacuation adds a new dimension to the changing situation in Syria since the overthrow of the Assad regime.