Aircraft and pilots of the Russian Air and Space Forces are returning from Syria. However, Damascus hopes for continuation of allied relations with Moscow. At the moment, President Bashar Assad heads Syria, and the Russian military bases in Khmeimim and Tartus are still functioning. One of the reasons for the partial withdrawal from Syria is intensification of the peace process, according to Moscow. According to the Defense Ministry of Russia, yesterday the number of towns and villages which leaders agreed to respect the ceasefire region didn’t change, at 51.
Consultations with the leaders of four opposition political parties and movements of Syria on peacemaking are going on. The number of armed groups which have stated they are following the ceasefire regime is 42. The number of violations of the ceasefire regime has reduced. Humanitarian trains are being formed.
Andrei Baklanov, advisor to the deputy chairman of the Federation Council, thinks that five years ago the events in Syria mainly depended on US policy, but the American power scenario failed to work in Syria for the first time, and the initiative was captured by Moscow. “The decision to withdraw the Russian Air and Space Forces was a surprise to many and had a huge impact on the inter-Syrian and non-regional players. I think that the US is brewing a revision of this global power line that has characterized it for the last 10-15 years. Recall that on September 30th, when we began our campaign, there was an extremely tense situation, and in practical terms the question of a possible seizure of the independent Syrian state's capital by international militants had already been raised. The task of helping the government forces to prevent this development was given to our military. Which was, in fact, accomplished,” the expert thinks.
According to Baklanov, now “the initiative (not in full, but the predominant trend) has passed into the hands of the Syrian government troops, the militants were pushed not only from the capital, but were defeated in a number of provinces, although the war continues, but, apparently, very soon it will stop. But the most difficult moment is behind us, and a key element of this development was the participation of our Air Forces.”
Baklanov calls the decision on withdrawal well-timed: “Elections are scheduled for April. And, of course, I think that if these elections take place in a situation where there are no foreign or even friendly forces located on the territory of Syria, this will facilitate the carrying out of this major political campaign.”
