In a post on X, top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described Assad’s fall as a “positive and long-awaited development," saying that the collapse "shows the weakness of Assad’s backers, Russia and Iran."
The withdrawal comes as rebels advancing from Damascus push toward Syria's coastal provinces, including Latakia, Hama and Tartus, where Russian military bases are located, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said.
This figure contrasts a claim made earlier the same day on Dec. 8 by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who wrote on his Truth Social platform that Ukrainian military losses had reached "400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians."
Reuters on Dec. 8 reported, citing its Syrian sources that "there was a very high probability that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may have been killed in a plane crash" as he was fleeing Damascus following its capture by rebels. Reuters later deleted the information from its reporting.
Trump and Zelensky met in Paris as world leaders gathered in the city for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The drones targeted multiple oblasts, with debris from downed drones causing damage to residential buildings.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on Dec. 7 in Paris to attend the opening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
There is much at stake for Russia — if Assad's regime falls, Russia will lose its regional foothold in the Middle East.
The comment comes after a series of warnings about, and attacks on, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which is becoming an increasingly active part of the frontline.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that if all international partners demonstrated the same level of commitment then "Russian terror could already have been made impossible."
These attacks follow recent developments on the front line, where military forces are locked in battle over small islands in the Dnipro River.
"The hunt for the enemy in the Black Sea continues," Commander of the Naval Forces Vice-Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa said.
