It must be 4th and long: Russians punting on Syria
Moscow Is Sending Planes to Lebanon for 100 Russians Leaving Syria
By ELLEN BARRY and HANIA MOURTADA, NYT
MOSCOW — Russia announced Monday that it was sending two airplanes from its emergency services fleet to Beirut, Lebanon, to evacuate around 100 Russian citizens leaving Syria, reflecting Moscow’s assessment that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are losing control of the country after nearly two years of fighting.
It was not clear whether the news signaled the beginning of a large-scale evacuation. Russia has an estimated 30,000 citizens in Syria, including government and military personnel, private contractors, and tens of thousands of women married to Syrian men. Around a dozen Russian ships are in the Mediterranean off the coast of Syria for naval exercises and could, officials have said, be used to evacuate Russian citizens.
Irina Rossius, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Emergency Services Ministry, said two airplanes would fly to Beirut on Tuesday “so that all Russians who wish to can leave Syria,” Interfax reported. She said more than 100 Russians expected to leave. If they can afford to do so, it is now common for people leaving Damascus, the Syrian capital, to avoid the contested route to the city’s airport by driving to Beirut and flying out from there.
Ms. Rossius did not say which group was evacuating, but conditions have been deteriorating for diplomats. Last week, Russia announced that it was closing its consulate in Aleppo in the wake of a double bombing that killed 82 people, and security officials told the newspaper Kommersant last month that the authorities were prepared to send 100 armed intelligence officers to help Russian diplomats leave Damascus if necessary. Russian arms manufacturers also have military advisers in place to assist the Syrian military with air-defense systems purchased from Russia.
(More here.)
By ELLEN BARRY and HANIA MOURTADA, NYT
MOSCOW — Russia announced Monday that it was sending two airplanes from its emergency services fleet to Beirut, Lebanon, to evacuate around 100 Russian citizens leaving Syria, reflecting Moscow’s assessment that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces are losing control of the country after nearly two years of fighting.
It was not clear whether the news signaled the beginning of a large-scale evacuation. Russia has an estimated 30,000 citizens in Syria, including government and military personnel, private contractors, and tens of thousands of women married to Syrian men. Around a dozen Russian ships are in the Mediterranean off the coast of Syria for naval exercises and could, officials have said, be used to evacuate Russian citizens.
Irina Rossius, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Emergency Services Ministry, said two airplanes would fly to Beirut on Tuesday “so that all Russians who wish to can leave Syria,” Interfax reported. She said more than 100 Russians expected to leave. If they can afford to do so, it is now common for people leaving Damascus, the Syrian capital, to avoid the contested route to the city’s airport by driving to Beirut and flying out from there.
Ms. Rossius did not say which group was evacuating, but conditions have been deteriorating for diplomats. Last week, Russia announced that it was closing its consulate in Aleppo in the wake of a double bombing that killed 82 people, and security officials told the newspaper Kommersant last month that the authorities were prepared to send 100 armed intelligence officers to help Russian diplomats leave Damascus if necessary. Russian arms manufacturers also have military advisers in place to assist the Syrian military with air-defense systems purchased from Russia.
(More here.)
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