The Kremlin confirmed on Dec. 11 that longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad had fled to Moscow after rebels took the capital city of Damascus in a lightning offensive that shocked the world. Assad’s exile in Russia comes as little surprise. The Kremlin had invested heavily in propping up the
President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Dec. 11 following his hour-long call to Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two discussed the war in Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent’s Natalia Yermak sat down with Neil Quilliam, a Middle East expert at Chatham House, to talk about what it means for Russia’s war in Ukraine and how it might put Kyiv and the West in a more favorable position in the potential peace negotiations with Moscow.
Moscow persuaded Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia with his family after realizing his regime was bound to lose to the opposition's rapid advance, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 11, citing its sources.
This comes as the first official confirmation of speculations that Assad and his family fled to Moscow following the collapse of the dictator's regime in Syria.
Military transport aircraft, including An-124 and Il-76 planes, continue to transport personnel and equipment to Russian airfields in Ulyanovsk, Chkalovsky, and Privolzhsky.
As Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed in a matter of days, Russia's influence in the Middle East appeared to wane. Preoccupied with its all-out war against Ukraine, Russia was unable to prevent the Dec. 8 downfall of its main ally in the region. The stunning rapidity of the rebels'
According to the outlet’s correspondent in Ankara, Russia has proposed relocating its forces to Turkish-controlled areas of Syria before transporting them to Russia by air.
Syrian opposition fighters took control of the Latakia province, where Russian military facilities – the Kheimin airbase and the Tartus naval base – are based, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Dec. 9, citing a Syrian source.
"Additionally, Russia's support for Assad also failed. And that's because Ukraine, backed by our American allies, has put up a wall of resistance against invading Russian forces, inflicting massive damage on the Russian forces," U.S. President Joe Biden said.
Russian news agencies reported on Dec. 8 that Syria's Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia, where they have been granted asylum on "humanitarian grounds."
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.
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.
"The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled. We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad," rebel leaders claimed on Dec. 8.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad boarded a plane out of Damascus on Dec. 8 as rebel forces swept into the capital, two senior army officers told Reuters.
"Assad's backers — Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah — have all been weakened and distracted," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. Russia cannot provide large-scale military support while "ground down in a war of attrition" in Ukraine.
Homs is located between Damascus, Syria's capital, and the Mediterranean coast — where Russia maintains its Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus Naval Base.
The regime of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad may fall within days as Syrian rebels continue to advance on the country's capital Damascus, five different U.S. officials told CNN on Dec. 7.
The shock capture of Aleppo by Syrian forces opposed to Bashar al-Assad in recent days has dealt a humiliating blow to the regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, analysts have told the Kyiv Independent. The surprise offensive has also indirectly helped Ukraine, analysts say. "This is really quite the
Russian and Syrian fighter jets have struck the rebel-held city of Idlib on Dec. 1 amid attempts to push back an insurgency that has taken over most of Aleppo, Reuters reported, citing Syrian army sources.
Russia has promised Damascus additional military assistance that is expected to arrive in the next 72 hours, as rebel forces sweep the northwestern city of Aleppo, two sources in the Syrian military told Reuters.
According to the readout, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad said he was "happy to see" Russian President Vladimir Putin again and emphasized that "relations between our nations have been based on trust, which is evidence of our nations' maturity."
