Russia Moscow: Assad has left his post and the country
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad has left his post and the country. However, the ministry in Moscow did not provide any information on Assad's whereabouts. Russia is also in contact with the groups in Syria and its military bases are not currently in danger, it said.
08.12.2024, 13:25
SDA
Assad has ordered a peaceful transfer of power, the ministry added. "Russia has not taken part in these negotiations. At the same time, we strongly appeal to all parties involved to refrain from the use of force and to resolve all governance issues by political means."
The Kremlin in Moscow referred to the ministry's statement and only said that there were no further explanations.
Disappointment and disillusionment in Moscow
Russia has provided military support for Assad since 2015. Now disillusionment and disappointment are spreading in Moscow. Russia can no longer support Syria under the current conditions of the civil war that has flared up, wrote the prominent foreign policy expert and deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, on Telegram. "The Syrians must now deal with this on their own."
Moscow will only help if the Syrian people want it, said Kosachev. The war is not over because there are many opposing groups there, including terrorists. The most important thing now is to ensure the safety of Russian soldiers in Syria as well as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, he said
Russia maintains an air base in Syria and a naval base with warships in the Mediterranean port of Tartus. The presence there is of strategic importance for Russia due to its access to the Mediterranean. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the bases are on heightened alert, but there is no threat to the soldiers.
The chairman of the defense committee in the Russian parliament, Andrey Kartapolov, said that Moscow's military stationed in Syria should be reconsidered - based on the experience of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the GDR and other countries. Other experts said that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was now experiencing his "personal Afghanistan" - as when Soviet troops were withdrawn from the country in 1989.
Discussion about mistakes in Russia
Commentators in the Russian media spoke of mistakes that Russia had made in Syria. Moscow had created the conditions for Assad to rebuild the country and bring it out of isolation. But he had done nothing with it, they said.
Propagandist Andrei Medvedev from state radio also spoke of Russia's mistakes that its opponents had taken advantage of and from which Moscow must learn. According to reports in the Russian media, Russia had hardly any resources left to counter Assad's opponents, partly due to its war of aggression against Ukraine.
