The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia continues to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after his forces lost territory to Islamist insurgents and other rebel groups. Officials added that they would see what help was needed to stabilize the situation.
A statement from the Syrian prime minister’s office released on Monday said Russian and Syrian aircraft were attacking rebel-held positions in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, killing and wounding dozens of insurgents.
Russia, a strong ally of Assad, intervened militarily alongside him against insurgents in 2015 in its biggest incursion into the Middle East since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and maintains an air base and naval facility in Syria.
The Kremlin said on Friday (29) it wanted the Syrian government to restore constitutional order as quickly as possible and considered the rebel attack a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.
Asked on Monday whether Russia planned to increase its support for Assad, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said support for Bashar Al-Assad continued. “Contacts continue at appropriate levels,” he added.
“We are analyzing the situation and a position will be formed on what is needed to stabilize the situation.”
Russian military bloggers said on Sunday that Moscow had fired Sergei Kisel, the general in charge of its forces in Syria, and replaced him with Colonel General Alexander Chaiko.
There has been no official confirmation from the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding such a change.
Assad has vowed to crush the insurgents — a coalition of secular armed groups backed by Turkey, along with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Russia, Turkey and other states.
Insurgents have seized control of the entire Idlib province in recent days, in the boldest rebel attack in years in a civil war where the front lines have been virtually frozen since 2020.
They also invaded the city of Aleppo, east of Idlib, on Friday night, forcing the army to reposition.
This content was originally published in Russia reinforces support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil

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