RUSSIAN troops withdraw from Syria yesterday — following the toppling of the regime of Vladimir Putin’s ally Bashar al-Assad.
Moscow ordered military units out from posts in the Alawite Mountains but reportedly plans to keep an airbase and naval facility manned.
Military sources said equipment and senior Syrian officers were also being evacuated.
Footage from Syria shows hordes of Putin’s troops fleeing the country in military trucks after a decade of bloodshed.
And satellite pics from a Russian airbase on the west coast reveals how Vlad’s men have been forced to take apart their attack helicopters and air defence units before leaving hot on Assad’s tail.
Bloodthirsty dictator President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power last week in an incredible 10-day blitz by rebel forces.
He fled to Russia – where longtime pal Putin gave him sanctuary – and where the twisted pair will now be licking their wounds after a double-pronged defeat.
Putin had sent his forces to Syria some nine years ago to help keep Assad in power during unrest in the country.
But on Friday footage captured by Channel 4 showed a long convoy of Russian military vehicles pouring down a road as they made their way quickly out of the country.
It is a great victory and a great joy
An onlooking Syrian
Dozens of troops were seen crammed inside army trucks flying the Russian flag.
Mad Vlad had sent the Russian military into Syria in 2015, with ground troops, fighter jets and ground weapons to aid Assad’s twisted regime.
Together are responsible for killing thousands of Syrians throughout the bloody Civil War that started in 2012.
A happy Syrian watching as Russian soldiers drove past told Channel 4: “It is a great victory and a great joy.
“[Russians] They killed us and destroyed us. Thank god.”
Meanwhile, the satellite pics captured by Maxar and Planet Labs show at least two Antonov AN-124s, one of the world’s largest cargo planes, at the Khmeimim air base.
The huge jets were stationed with their nose cones open – allowing for Vlad’s men to pile in dismantled army kit.
Three Il-76 transport aircraft, Russia’s workhorse heavy lifters, were also on the ground.
And three An-32s and one An-72, smaller models of transport aircraft, were visible in the satellite images.
An analyst at Maxar noted that a Ka-52 attack helicopter “was being dismantled and likely prepared for transport”.
Parts of an S-400 air defence unit were also seen breaking up for a return to Mother Russia.
Putin’s naval base at Tartous, Russia’s only Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub, “remains largely unchanged”, Maxar added.
Moscow has backed Syria since the early days of the Cold War, recognising its independence in 1944 as Damascus sought to throw off French colonial rule.
The West long regarded Syria as a Soviet satellite.
The Kremlin has said its focus since Assad’s fall was to ensure the security of its military bases in Syria and of its diplomatic missions.
The dramatic rise and fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad
ASSAD’S rule over Syria ended in dramatic fashion after rebel forces stormed Damascus in a surprise offensive, forcing the dictator to flee to Russia.
His life took a dramatic turn in 1994 when his elder brother, Bassel, the family’s chosen heir, died in a car accident.
Bashar was abruptly recalled to Syria and groomed for power.
Initially, hope stirred for reform as Bashar promised modernisation, anti-corruption measures, and political openness.
But the so-called “Damascus Spring” was short-lived.
Within a year, Assad cracked down on dissenters, signalling the beginning of his authoritarian rule.
The Assad regime quickly devolved into a kleptocracy, with Assad and his extended family siphoning wealth while suppressing opposition.
The Syrian Civil War became a geopolitical quagmire.
Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, portrayed himself as a bulwark against terrorism while cynically releasing jihadist prisoners to bolster extremist factions.
This fuelled the rise of groups like ISIS, reshaping global terror.
The end of Assad’s reign came abruptly in December 2024, as rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, exploiting weakened Syrian defences.
Rebels captured Damascus in a lightning campaign, declaring the capital “free” and marking the end of years of brutal authoritarian rule.
With Russia mired in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied with regional conflicts, Assad’s regime was left vulnerable.
Rebels stormed Aleppo, marking a symbolic victory, and Assad fled Damascus.
Assad left aboard a military plane amid rumours of its crash before resurfacing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin granted him asylum.
It comes as an apparent Russian conspiracy to distribute false news about an al-Assad ‘aircraft accident’ has been exposed.
The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security claimed on X that Russia “hid their trail” in assisting al-Assad’s escape by circulating fake claims that he died in a crash.
Meanwhile, opposition forces took control of key cities, toppled Assad’s statues, and announced plans for a transitional government.
The fall of Assad deals a blow to allies Russia and Iran, with both withdrawing assets from Syria.
