Russia has begun the systematic withdrawal of troops from a strategic airport in northeastern Syria.

Russia has begun the phased withdrawal of troops from Syrian territory. According to regional sources, Russian military personnel are leaving the Qamishli airfield in the north of the country, transferring equipment and personnel to bases in the coastal zone.

This involves the relocation of units and weapons towards Latakia — a key area of Russian military presence on the Syrian coast. Tanks and heavy equipment have already been removed from the airfield and are being loaded onto transport planes.

The information about the events was published on January 26, 2026, by Kurdistan24. According to their data, the evacuation is organized and affects not only ground forces but also aviation infrastructure.

The withdrawal of Russian bases in Syria has been repeatedly reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian intelligence, as early as 2024, Russian naval ships began leaving the base in Tartus, and equipment was being removed from the Khmeimim airbase by Il-76 and An-124 planes.

The GUR noted that a whole “caravan of military transport aircraft” was used for the evacuation, loading the remaining personnel, weapons, and military equipment. This process, according to Ukrainian estimates, was a result of Russia’s sharply reduced ability to maintain positions outside its own theater of war.

The background of the Syrian collapse dates back to the early 2000s. Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. In 2011, he harshly suppressed peaceful protests, leading to a prolonged civil war.

Over the years of conflict in Syria, more than half a million people have died, and about 12 million were forced to leave their homes. With the support of allies, Assad managed to retain control over most of the country, and after 2020, Syria practically disappeared from the international agenda.

The situation changed dramatically at the end of November 2024. The united armed opposition swept from north to south of the country in a matter of days, taking control of the largest cities. After the fall of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, Damascus fell. The government army offered no serious resistance.

Neither Russia nor Iran intervened at this moment. Assad’s regime collapsed, and he lost power.

Since 2022, Moscow has been forced to focus resources on the war against Ukraine. A significant portion of the aviation was withdrawn from Syrian bases, and generals who had failed in the Ukrainian direction began to be sent to Syria. In fact, the Syrian theater became secondary and gradually lost priority.

Assad remained Russia’s most loyal ally in the Middle East. The Kremlin invested enormous financial, military, and political resources in keeping him in power. However, after the regime’s fall, this bet was ultimately lost.

According to available information, Assad and his family members, after losing power, are in Moscow, where they were granted asylum. The withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria became a logical continuation of this story — a symbol of the loss of influence and reduction of Russia’s capabilities beyond its own war.

It is precisely such shifts in regional politics and military reality that are today shaping a new map of the Middle East, which is being closely monitored by NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency, documenting how the war in Ukraine directly changes the balance of power far beyond its borders.