© Valery Sharifulin/TASS
Kommersant: Russia mulling partial military withdrawal from SyriaAs the Syrian crisis shifts towards a political settlement, Moscow may be considering a partial withdrawal of its military forces from the country,
Kommersant writes with reference to military and diplomatic sources. The plan is to
partially roll back the amount of hardware of the mixed aviation group based in Hmeimim (Latakia province) and
pull out part of the military contingent from the republic, the sources said, adding that no final decisions have been made yet and Russian President Vladimir Putin will have the last word on the matter.
According to the data provided by Russia's Defense Ministry, Bashar Assad's government forces control around 95% of Syrian land and
do not need Russia's massive support for their final attack on the Islamists' positions. If implemented, the plan implies that
only the contingent required for protecting sites in Hmeimim and Tartus will be left in Syria, as well as military police units and military advisors,
Kommersant writes. As for what equipment will be withdrawn from the country, that remains to be decided on. Expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Konstantin Makiyenko feels that it reasonable to pull out the most valuable equipment, leaving old units there, whereas Su-24s may be left permanently in Syria.
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