The Syriya Transitional Government spokesman Arnaut stated that Russia's military presence in the country needs to be revised. His comment was made against the background of changes in the placement of military forces and reducing Russia's activity at Syrian military sites.
According to Arnaut, Russia must rethink its presence in Syria, in particular in the context of changing power in the country. Syria's power is currently under the control of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Ash-Sham (HTSh) group, which is recognized as terrorist in Russia.
Arnaut noted that the Kremlin began to discuss the future of Khmeimim and the Navy in Tartus-Russia's last direct access to the Mediterranean. However, recently satellite images have recorded the disappearance of equipment and ships from these objects, which caused an assumption about the curtailment of Russian military presence in Syria.
According to members of the Politburo HTSh, on December 15, Russia withdrew about 400 of its soldiers from Damascus and relocated them to Khmeimim. After that, these troops were taken to Russia. However, Arnaut called these actions ambiguous, noting that the movement of equipment and the disappearance of ships did not give a clear picture, whether Russia really removes its troops from Syria or is only part of the planned rotation.
Arnaut also called on Russia to revise its interests in Syria, especially in the context that its ties with Bashar al -Assad regime, which now escaped to Moscow, no longer have a basis. "Russia should come with initiatives to show that it is not an enemy of the Syrian people and that the era of Assad regime is complete," he said.
