Russia is withdrawing troops from an airfield in northeastern Syria, ending its military presence in a part of the country where the government in Damascus is trying to take control from Kurdish forces, Syrian sources said, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Russia has deployed forces at Qamishli airport in the northeast of the country since 2019, which are relatively small compared to its air base and naval base on Syria's Mediterranean coast, which it is expected to retain.
Government forces under the command of President Ahmed al-Sharaa have captured large parts of northern and eastern Syria from the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces this month, as Damascus seeks to assert its authority over the entire country.
A fragile ceasefire between the government army and the Kurds was extended on Saturday by 15 days.
Two of the sources said Russian forces began a gradual withdrawal from Qamishli airport last week. Some of the forces are expected to move to western Syria, while others will return to Russia, one of the sources at Russia's Hmeimim air base said.
Another Syrian security source said Russian military vehicles and heavy weapons had been transported from Qamishli to the Hmeimim military airport in the past two days.
There was no immediate comment from the Russian Defense Ministry, Reuters noted.
The Russian newspaper "Kommersant" reported last week, citing an anonymous Syrian source, that the Syrian government may ask Russian forces to leave the base after expelling the Kurds, as "(the Russians) have nothing to do there".