FOOTAGE shows hoards of Vladimir Putin’s troops bundled in military trucks as they flee Syria after a decade of bloodshed.
Russians are also packing up military equipment at the Khmeimim air base following the humiliating ouster of President Bashar al-Assad last week.
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Footage captured by Chanel 4 shows a long convoy of Russian military vehicles moving along a road.
Troops can be seen travelling inside as they flee Syria after nine years of military presence.
Putin saved his pal Assad from being taken out and has steadfastly supported him ever since.
He sent the Russian military into the country in 2015, including ground troops, fighter jets and ground weapons to aid Assad’s regime.
read more on Assad’s ouster
Together, they have been responsible for killing thousands of Syrians amid the bloody Civil War that started in 2012.
However, this marks the end of the Russian military presence in Syria and Putin’s declining influence in the region.
As Putin’s troop departed, a happy Syrian local told Chanel 4: “It is a great victory and a great joy. [Russians and Assad] killed us and destroyed us. Thank god.”
Meanwhile, images captured by Maxar and Planet Labs reveal increased ground vehicles at the Khmeimim air base.
They show what appear to be at least two Antonov AN-124s, one of the world’s largest cargo planes, with their nose cones open.
Three Il-76 transport aircraft, Russia’s workhorse heavy lifters, were also on the ground.
Three An-32s and one An-72, smaller models of transport aircraft, were also 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 preparing to depart from its previous deployment site at the air base.
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.
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ASSAD’S OUSTER
Assad’s rule over Syria ended dramatically after rebel forces stormed Damascus in a surprise offensive, forcing the dictator to flee to Russia.
Dozens of exiled fighters from the militant Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive against Vladimir Putin‘s ally President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
This marked the conclusion of a regime notorious for its brutality, including chemical attacks, mass detentions, and the decimation of Syrian cities.
Thousands of worshipers today gathered at the Umayyad Mosque in Syria’s capital for the first Friday since the collapse of the Assad regime.
Syria’s newly installed caretaker prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir addressed the crowd and praised the victory.
He added: “We got rid of the criminals and Bashar al-Assad, who imposed himself as a god over the people and made you suffer with the humiliation of torture, and then he drowned in his atrocities,” Bashir said.
“Today is a new dawn, for a new phase, under the title of liberty and dignity.”
But challenges remain as Syrians celebrate, but hopes rise for a democratic future after years of war.
Assad’s ouster not only signals the collapse of a dynastic dictatorship but also underscores the cost of clinging to power through terror.
He left behind a shattered nation as he decimated Syria’s infrastructure, fractured its society, and plunged millions into despair.
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.
