Reports from international news agencies and official statements from Syrian or Russian government sources

Russia Evacuates Assad to Moscow as Damascus Falls, Rejects His 'Mini-State' Plan

Dec 11, 2024, 12:16 PM

Russian intelligence operatives organized the escape of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Moscow after persuading him that he would lose the fight against rapidly advancing rebel forces, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Russia concluded that Assad could not win the war against the opposition and rejected his proposal to create a 'mini-state' in Syria's coastal region. They offered him and his family safe passage out of Syria. Russian agents evacuated Assad through a Russian airbase in Syria, turning off the aircraft's transponder to avoid detection.