Rebels Help Russia to Move Troops, Diplomats from Damascus to Khmeimim Air Base

Russia has been withdrawing troops and diplomatic staff from across Syria – including the capital Damascus – to its Khmeimim Air Base in northern Syria in coordination with a Syrian rebel group, an official from the rebel group said.

While some troops are being evacuated from the base to Russia by aircraft, as Moscow reduces its diplomatic presence in Syria, the official said there are ongoing discussions with Moscow about the granting of safe passage while confirming the Kremlin was not currently evacuating the air base.

The official, using the pseudonym Lababidi, works at the political bureau of the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), responsible for toppling the Moscow-backed Assad regime on Dec. 8.

Lababidi told the Financial Times (FT) that Russian military envoys negotiated safe passage with HTS from Damascus at the rebels’ de facto headquarters in the city’s Four Seasons hotel last week, alongside other ongoing discussions on the evacuation of more troops from across Syria.

“The Russians came by but only for coordination for the retreat of bases,” Lababidi told FT.

He said at least 400 soldiers previously stationed at the Syrian Army’s Fourth Division headquarters in Qudsayya, a suburb of Damascus, embarked for the Khmeimim Air Base last week by land. He added that Russian troops stationed at the Damascus embassy also departed.

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He added that the troops were then evacuated from Syria by air, which aligns with recent Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) reports that Russia has been deploying transport planes to evacuate troops. However, Lababidi said Moscow is not evacuating the base yet.

“Asked about the future of the bases, Lababidi said Russia was not currently evacuating [Khmeimim] but rather pulling back personnel from other bases there,” the FT reported.

Lababidi added that a Russian official informed him of a reduction in diplomatic activity at the embassy, though the embassy would remain operational.

Russia has supported Assad’s regime since 2015 when it launched a military intervention to bolster Syrian government forces – providing air support, weapons and military advisors to combat Syrian opposition factions.

Russia has maintained a permanent military presence in its two main military bases in Syria – the Khmeimim Air Base in Lakatia and the Tartus Naval Base – since 2017, but the ousting of the Assad regime has rendered the future of the bases unclear.

Is Russia working with the rebels?

Despite Moscow’s support for the deposed regime, the latest developments showed a potential willingness from the rebels to work with Moscow despite the hostility between the two.

FT’s Sunday report said HTS signaled a willingness to work with Moscow during its offensive, where HTS said in a statement that the two have common grounds to rebuild Syria. However, Kyiv Post was unable to locate the source of that statement.

That said, it is clear that at present Moscow is maintaining contact with the rebel groups, and Russian troops in Syria have not come under rebel attack yet.

A Russian official stated on Dec. 8, the day the Syrian regime was ousted, that rebel leaders “have guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions on Syrian territory.”

Three unnamed sources also told FT that some families close to the ousted Assad regime have sought refuge at the Russian embassy in Damascus. HTS fighters stationed outside the embassy told FT that they were ordered to protect those inside the embassy and not limit their movements and added that Russian embassy staff have on occasions requested their escort while running errands.

Lababidi said the new administration has instructed Moscow not to facilitate the departure of Syrians from the country.

Theoretically, Moscow can exchange its assets in Syria to retain control over its military bases, considering its sizable investments over the last decade in the country’s oil, gas and mining sectors.

HUR also claimed that rumors among Russian troops stationed in Syria said Moscow might have struck a deal to keep up to 3,000 troops in its two Syrian bases.

But whether a deal is on the horizon remains a speculation at present.