By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia evacuated part of its embassy staff from the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday after pulling back its military from frontlines and other positions, Worthy News established Sunday.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow confirmed that embassy staff departed on a special Russian Air Force flight on Sunday to Moscow following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, a key Kremlin ally, last week.
Ministry officials said that the flight also carried diplomats from Belarus, North Korea, and Abkhazia, a separatist region in Georgia backed by Moscow.
The exact number of people on board was not disclosed.
Yet it came after Russia pulled back its military from the front lines in northern Syria and posts in the Alawite Mountains, several Russian sources said.
The ousting of Assad, who, along with his late father, former President Hafez al-Assad, forged a close alliance with Moscow, has thrown the future of Russia’s bases – the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartous naval facility – into question.
LEAVING SYRIA
Satellite footage reviewed by Worthy News showed what appeared to be at least two Antonov AN-124s, among the world’s largest cargo planes, at the Hmeimim base with their nose cones open, apparently preparing to load up.
At least one cargo plane flew out on Saturday for Libya, Syrian security sources outside the facility said.
The move is part of broader efforts by Moscow to pull back its forces from the front lines while withdrawing some heavy equipment and senior Syrian officers, according to security officials.
However, Russian and Syrian sources suggested that Russia was not pulling out entirely of its two main bases and currently had no intention of doing so, despite the government takeover by Islamic rebels.
Syria, with a key naval base, is seen as a strategic nation for Russia to maintain its military and political footprint in the volatile Middle East.
Despite its presence, Russia was apparently unable or unwilling to keep Assad in power amid its war against Ukraine, Europe’s bloodiest armed conflict since World War Two.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Netherlands’ prime minister says Dutch and German intelligence agencies have evidence of Russia’s widespread use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, raising concerns about the security of Europe and beyond.
The yearlong countdown towards America’s 250th birthday has begun with First Lady Melania Trump affectionately joining her husband, President Donald J. Trump, on the White House balcony.
Anxiety remained among religious Jews observing the Shabbat in Melbourne after an arsonist set fire to the door of a synagogue, forcing worshipers to flee, while elsewhere in the Australian city, protesters stormed an Israeli restaurant.
A troubling trend is emerging across the United States: increasing acts of hostility, vandalism, and violence against Christian churches. From arson to bomb threats, these incidents reflect what some are calling a spiritual crisis and a growing cultural hostility toward Christianity.
A sudden and violent flash flood in the Texas Hill Country has left at least 24 people dead and dozens more missing–many of them young girls attending Camp Mystic, a beloved Christian summer camp–after relentless storms swelled the Guadalupe River early Friday morning, washing away cabins, homes, and vehicles in its path.
In a dramatic Independence Day spectacle at the White House, President Donald Trump signed into law the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping legislative package that delivers on a wide array of his second-term promises and reshapes major sectors of the U.S. economy, tax system, and welfare programs.
Preparations are underway to establish a European Union-led alternative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as part of a new global marketplace that would challenge America’s economic clout.