Russian diplomats, military flee Syria - intelligence
In Syria, the situation for Russians is deteriorating, with military contingent and diplomats urgently leaving Damascus and other cities due to armed unrest by opposition forces.
This was reported by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.
According to the DIU, forces opposed to the Russian-backed Bashar al-Assad regime are actively advancing to the south of the country, with the first battles taking place in the cities of Hama, Homs and Suwayda.
Russia's military contingent fled Hama and evacuated to the Hmeymim base.
The head of the Russian coordination headquarters in Hmeymim, Colonel-General Alexander Zhuravlev, stated that the situation was out of the Assad regime's control.
The first armed riots broke out in Damascus. Russian military personnel and diplomats began to leave the Syrian capital in a hasty and urgent manner.
The Russians also fled from the military base in Khan Sheikhun, leaving behind a significant arsenal of weapons and equipment.
On December 1, Russian planes carried out air strikes in the Khan Sheikhun area. The purpose of the attack was likely to destroy Russian military equipment that had been transferred to the opposition forces.
As reported by Ukrinform, the second largest city in Syria, Aleppo, is no longer under the control of the Assad regime for the first time since the beginning of the conflict in the country, which has lasted more than 10 years.