Russian military and diplomats are leaving Damascus in a hurry: Main Intelligence Directorate
Russian military and diplomats have begun to leave the Syrian capital, Damascus, amid the first armed clashes between rebel forces and Bashar al-Assad’s government forces. About this informs The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
According to intelligence sources, the situation for the Russian contingent in Syria is getting significantly more complicated. The rebels intensified their offensive in the south of the country, and the first street battles have already taken place in the cities of Hama, Homs and Suwayda.
The Russian military left the city of Khama and relocated to the Khmeimim base. Oleksandr Zhuravlyov, head of the base’s staff, confirmed that the situation in Syria is no longer controlled by Bashar al-Assad’s government, Ukrainian intelligence reports.
In addition, Russian forces left their base in the city of Khan Sheikhoun, leaving an arsenal of weapons and equipment there. The day before, on December 1, Russian aircraft struck the area, probably to destroy weapons that fell into the hands of the rebels.
It also became known that the commander of the Russian special forces in Syria, Vadym Baikulov, was summoned to Moscow for an explanation. His units suffered significant losses, and the military equipment that was in Aleppo was captured by the rebel forces.
