By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia evacuated part of its embassy staff from the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday after pulling back its military from frontlines and other positions, Worthy News established Sunday.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow confirmed that embassy staff departed on a special Russian Air Force flight on Sunday to Moscow following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a key Kremlin ally, last week.
Ministry officials said that the flight also carried diplomats from Belarus, North Korea, and Abkhazia, a separatist region in Georgia backed by Moscow.
The exact number of people on board was not disclosed.
Yet it came after Russia pulled back its military from the front lines in northern Syria and posts in the Alawite Mountains, several Russian sources said.
The ousting of Assad, who, along with his late father, former President Hafez al-Assad, forged a close alliance with Moscow, has thrown the future of Russia’s bases – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartous naval facility – into question.
LEAVING SYRIA
Satellite footage reviewed by Worthy News showed what appeared to be at least two Antonov AN-124s, among the world’s largest cargo planes, at the Hmeimim base with their nose cones open, apparently preparing to load up.
At least one cargo plane flew out on Saturday for Libya, Syrian security sources outside the facility said.
The move is part of broader efforts by Moscow to pull back its forces from the front lines while withdrawing some heavy equipment and senior Syrian officers, according to security officials.
However, Russian and Syrian sources suggested that Russia was not pulling out entirely of its two main bases and currently had no intention of doing so, despite the government takeover by Islamic rebels.
Syria, with a key naval base, is seen as a strategic nation for Russia to maintain its military and political footprint in the volatile Middle East.
Despite its presence, Russia was apparently unable or unwilling to keep Assad in power amid its war against Ukraine, Europe’s bloodiest armed conflict since World War Two.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
With millions of Americans’ health insurance premiums projected to rise in 2026, due partially to enhanced Obamacare subsidies expiring, Republicans are eyeing health savings accounts as a solution.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday elevated Saudi Arabia to the status of a “major non-NATO ally,” a designation that significantly expands the military relationship between Washington and Riyadh during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s first White House visit in seven years.
The United States has begun a rapid diplomatic and operational drive to assemble the newly authorized International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, launching the effort mere hours after the UN Security Council overwhelmingly approved its deployment.
Israeli intelligence revealed Wednesday that a sweeping joint investigation with European security agencies has uncovered a network of Hamas-linked terror cells operating across Europe, with recent plots traced back to Qatar and possibly Turkey, where senior Hamas officials maintain political offices.
The White House is urging members of the U.S. Congress to reject a measure that would restrict the world’s most valuable semiconductor company’s ability to sell advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to Communist-run China and other adversary nations, according to people familiar with the matter.
Indonesian authorities say more than 900 residents were evacuated and 170 stranded climbers have now been brought to safety after Mount Semeru — one of the country’s tallest and most active volcanoes — erupted repeatedly on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has signed legislation compelling his administration to release all classified files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after mounting pressure from within his own Republican Party.