Putin flew to Syria and ordered the troops to withdraw

President Vladimir Putin flew to the Khmeimim air base in Syria and ordered the withdrawal of the "significant part" of Russian troops from the country, Interfax reports .

"Over two and a few years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army, defeated the most combat -ready grouping of international terrorists. In this regard, I decided: a significant part of the Russian military contingent, located in the Syrian Arab Republic, is returning home to Russia," the Russian leader said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Council of the Council of the Federation Council for Defense and Security, Viktor Bondarev, said that after the execution of Putin’s order in Syria, Russian aviation, air defense and inezer troops will remain in Syria. Officially, Russia did not conduct ground operations in Syria.

On the basis of Khmeimim Putin, the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense Sergey Shoigu and the commander of the Russian group in Syria, the commander in Russian airborne forces, Colonel General Sergei Surovikin met. The general reported to the president that during the participation of Russia in the Syrian conflict, the VKS was destroyed by more than 32 thousand Islamist militants.

During a conversation with Assad, Putin expressed hope for a peaceful settlement in Syria and noted the importance of Congress of the peoples of Syria, which is supposed to be held in Sochi in January-February 2018. In turn, the Syrian dictator thanked the Russian president for the intervention of Russian troops in the civil war in the country.

On December 6, Putin said that Russia completely defeated the grouping of the Islamic State in Syria. “Naturally, there may still be separate foci of resistance, but in general, combat work at this stage and in this territory is completed. It is completed full, I repeat, the victory and defeat of the terrorists,” the Russian leader emphasized.

Valery Gerasimov, the head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, announced the possible reduction in the grouping of the Russian army in Syria in November .