Syria Syrian flag Damascus
© AP Photo/ Hassan AmmarA Syrian flag waves over Damascus, February 28, 2016.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, after completing their task to destroy Daesh. Sputnik provides details about the pullout and Russia's interactions with Syria in the future.

During his first ever visit to the Hmeymim airbase in Syria, President Putin praised the work of the Russian Aerospace Forces as brilliant and said Russian forces were "returning home with a victory." As the Syrian conflict is gradually nearing its end questions inevitably arise about what this withdrawal will mean. Here are the answers to some of them.

Does this mean the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria?


Apparently, this is not exactly what will happen. There are two military facilities that Russia operates in the country - the Tartus naval facility, established in 1971, and the Hmeymim airbase, used for airstrikes since 2015. In January 2017, Moscow and Damascus signed an agreement on the deployment of a Russia Aerospace Forces group at Hmeymim for 49 years. The deal also presumes the deployment of 11 Russian warships at the Tartus facility. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the timetable of the pullout will depend on the situation on the ground.

Daesh is destroyed, but is the conflict over?

Syrian army servicemen
© Press Service of the President of Syria / SputnikThe Syrian army servicemen broke the three-year siege of Deir ez-Zor, in the area of the 137th mechanized brigade in Syria
Despite the fact that the Russian forces have completed their mission to eliminate the terror group from Syria, some isolated hotbeds of extremism still exist. A number of military groups are still active in Syria, including al-Nusra Front. One of the remaining hotbeds is the Governorate of Idlib, controlled by al-Nusra Front, where Turkish forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have recently been fighting militants. There is also no final agreement between numerous opposition groups in Syria.

Could Russia return to the Syrian battlefield?

Russian pilots jets
Despite the ordered withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, the possibility of new Russian military actions against terrorists in the country is not off the table. When announcing his order, President Putin said Monday that if the terrorists "lift up their head" in Syria, Russian forces will carry out strikes the likes of which "they've never seen."

What about the peace process?

peace process Syria #Peace4Syria
As Daesh is no longer the principal threat in Syria, oppositions groups and representatives of the legitimate government now have a better chance to reach some sort of understanding. The recent round of peace talks in Geneva, however, ended with mutual accusations. The next round of the Astana peace talks, brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey, will be held on December 21-22. These three countries remain a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in Syria.


Comment: Daesh is no longer there, but unfortunately the other so-called 'rebel' groups are as brutal as Daesh. See:

Trump Condemns Free Syrian Army For Smashing Christian Icons, Forgets US Military Has Been Supporting Them For Years


Russia's out, but who is left?

soldiers military checkpoint Syria
As Russia is preparing to withdraw its forces from Syria, other Damascus allies, including Hezbollah and Iran's special forces, will keep their presence on Syria's soil. Other foreign actors, including Turkey and the US-led international coalition, which involves the United States, France, Germany, Spain and others, continue operations in Syria. As their involvement has not been authorized by Damascus, it is difficult to suggest when they may pull out.