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Russian Troops Withdraw From Syria Using Aircraft and Naval Fleet
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Amira Barkhush")
Russian forces have reportedly deployed a convoy of military transport aircraft to evacuate remaining troops, weaponry, and military equipment to facilitate their withdrawal from Syria.
This was reported by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
HUR wrote that several flights of An-124 and Il-76MD aircraft are scheduled to depart from the Hmeimim airbase, heading to airfields in Ulyanovsk, Chkalovsky, and Privolzhsky in Russia.
Additionally, it was reported that Russia is mobilizing naval assets. In Baltiysk, orders have been issued to prepare the cargo ship Sparta II and the large landing ship Alexander Shabalin for deployment to Tartus.
Russian Northern Fleet landing ships Alexander Otrakovsky and Ivan Gren have set course for the Mediterranean Sea.
“The operation, dubbed ‘Syrian Retreat,’ also involves the frigates Admiral Gorshkov and Admiral Golovko,” HUR wrote, adding that Russian forces are urgently dismantling equipment and military assets at the Tartus port, with several hundred special forces deployed to secure the withdrawal.
“The aggressor state is likely relying on agreements with anti-government forces to ensure an unhindered withdrawal from Syria. Even representatives of Moscow's so-called diplomacy have stopped referring to groups opposing the Assad regime as "terrorists," instead adopting a neutral, and at times even ‘friendly,’ public tone,“ HUR concluded.
On December 9, the Russian media stated that the Syrian opposition forces took full control of Latakia province and Tartus, home to Russian military bases. At the same time, the source emphasized that opposition forces did not breach Russian bases in Tartus and Hmeimim.
Later, CNN Turkey reported that Russia sought Turkey's assistance in ensuring the safe withdrawal of its troops from Syria, with the plan involving relocating Russian forces to areas of Syria under Turkish control, from where they will be transported back to Russia.
On December 8, Syrian opposition forces declared the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad after capturing Damascus, bringing an end to more than five decades of authoritarian rule under the Assad dynasty.
