Russians in Syria “whine” about difficulties in evacuating their soldiers - DIU

In Syria, the Russians are "whining" about the difficulties of evacuating their soldiers - they cannot get from Homs province to the Hmeymim air base because of the fear of attacks on the convoys, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported on Saturday, UNN writes.

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"Hundreds of Russian troops cannot get from Homs province to the air base in Hmeymim because they are afraid that their convoy will be covered by fire," the GUR reported in social networks. 

Some armed groups are reportedly taking advantage of the process of Russian withdrawal from Syria by hanging the Russian flag on their convoys as a cover for unimpeded movement, in particular along the M4 highway.

"Colonel Dmitry Motrenko of the Russian army, on behalf of his superiors, was traveling to negotiate with representatives of military contingents of other states in Syria, asking for guarantees of immunity for the soldiers of the aggressor state who are waiting near the T4 airfield. Meanwhile, mercenaries from the so-called Russian PMCs, in particular the African Corps, appeared on the territory of the Arab country: their task is to protect Russian units moving from the depths of Syria to bases on the coast," the intelligence service said.

"On December 13, 2024, about a thousand Russian troops marched in a column from Damascus to Tartus and Hmeymim," the DIU said. 

According to intelligence, the aggressor state plans to involve at least 25 more military transport aircraft in the ongoing operation to evacuate the Russian military contingent from Syria, to transport troops, weapons and equipment from Khmeimim to Rostov-on-Don, Chkalovsk and Vladivostok.

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Meanwhile, Maxar satellite imagery has been posted online, showing that Russia, according to CNN, appears to be loading and preparing aircraft to leave its military bases in Syria.

"At Russia's Hmeymim airbase in Latakia on Syria's northwestern Mediterranean coast, two heavy military transport aircraft, An-124, were on the airfield Friday, with the nose cones of both raised, indicating they were ready to load cargo," CNN reports .

At the same airbase, a Ka-52 attack helicopter was reportedly being dismantled, presumably in preparation for transportation. Meanwhile, parts of the S-400 air defense system were reportedly being packed for transportation.

Michael Coffman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted in a post on social media that Russia appears to be consolidating both in Hmeymim and Tartus, the naval base it has maintained on the Mediterranean coast since the Cold War.

"In short, the withdrawal is underway," said Kofman. - "It is still unclear whether this is a complete withdrawal. There are signs and rumors about it, but it's better to wait for proof.

Maxar's images, as noted, showed that the Tartus naval base has remained virtually unchanged after photos taken on Tuesday showed two military frigates off the coast.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin said that ensuring the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic missions in Syria is of "exceptional importance," noting that Moscow is in contact with the new leadership in Damascus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to provide details on how many Russian troops are in Syria and the status of possible evacuation.