Media: Kremlin pulls strings to secure safe exit for Assad as regime collapses

Russia has convinced Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to abandon the fight against armed groups, including HTS, by offering him and his family safe passage out of the country, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation.

These sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter, revealed that Russian intelligence agents orchestrated the escape, arranging for Assad to be flown out via Russia’s airbase in Syria, Caliber.Az reports per Bloomberg.

The aircraft’s transponder was switched off to prevent tracking, one source added.

This marked the end of over fifty years of the Assad family’s rule, following Bashar’s succession of his father, Hafez, who had served as president from 1971 until his death in 2000. Within hours of Assad’s departure, militants entered Damascus unopposed and declared victory in the Syrian conflict, which had been ongoing for nearly 14 years.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to publicly address the fall of the Assad regime.

"This was damage control," said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, a defence and security think tank. He added that it was "very logical" for Russia to advise Assad to surrender, as Moscow aimed to avoid a bloodbath similar to the fates of Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, who was hanged in 2006 after a trial.

Concerns about the future of Russia's two key military bases in Syria—a naval port in Tartus and an airfield at Khmeimim—remain significant. Despite the rapid developments on the ground, Russia is seeking to project confidence, as officials were taken aback by how quickly the situation unfolded.

Russian media are promoting the narrative that Assad was responsible for his own defeat, while Moscow claims it kept its promises by not abandoning him. The Kremlin is now focusing on preserving its strategic interests in Syria and the wider Middle East.

Initially, Russia had provided air support to Assad’s forces in an attempt to push back opposition fighters. However, as the Syrian army showed little resistance and rebels swiftly captured Aleppo, followed by Hama, Russia realized it could no longer protect the regime as the opposition advanced towards the key city of Homs, one source explained.

On December 8, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Assad had resigned and left Syria, noting that Moscow was in contact with “all Syrian opposition groups.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held discussions on the Syrian crisis with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in the Qatari capital, Doha, on December 7.

Iran, like Russia, had been a staunch ally of Assad. The two countries came to his aid in 2015, when Russia deployed military forces to help Assad repel rebels who had surrounded Damascus. Türkiye, on the other hand, supported the insurgents who ultimately succeeded in toppling the long-time Syrian ruler.

By Aghakazim Guliyev