By Brandon Turbeville
In a surprising move, Russian President Vladmir Putin has apparently ordered the “main part” of Russian forces stationed in Syria to begin withdrawing from the country starting on Tuesday.
In a Monday meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin reportedly stated that “I consider the objectives that have been set for the Defense Ministry to be generally accomplished. That is why I order to start withdrawal of the main part of our military group from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic starting from tomorrow.”
RT reports that a telephone conversation was held on Monday evening at Moscow’s behest between both the Syrian and Russian Presidents regarding Putin’s decision.
Putin did state that the Hmemim airbase and the Russian contingent operating at the port of Tartus would continue to function as normal. He also stated that both operations must continue to be protected “from land, air, and sea.”
“The effective work of our military created the conditions for the start of the peace process,” Putin said.
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