Russian forces are reported to be fleeing their military bases in Syria as rebels continue their attack in the north of the country.
Insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) landed a major blow against Syria’s ruling regime over the weekend after capturing the country’s second biggest city, Aleppo.
An offshoot of the jihadist militia al-Nusra, HTS is under the command of a former ISIS fighter, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
The US has branded al-Jolani as a terrorist and placed a $10 million bounty on his head.
The rebels are reported to be pushing further south and were said to be closing in on Hama on Saturday.
Clashes were reported in the city, as well as in Homs and As-Suwayda, as government forces struggled to contain the insurgency.
Ukraine’s military intelligence claims Russian forces in Syria have sustained significant losses since the launch of the rebel offensive.
Multiple Russian units are said to be surrounded, with hundreds of soldiers listed as missing.
Russian troops are also reported to have fled Hama, to seek refuge at the Khmeimim airbase.
In a further humiliating blow for the Kremlin, rebels also seized five Russian fighter jets after taking control of Kuweires Airbase, near Aleppo.
Colonel General Alexander Zhuravlyov, head of the Russian headquarters in Khmeimim, acknowledged that the situation in Syria was rapidly spiralling out of control.
The Kremlin has reacted furiously to its military setbacks in Syria, where it forces are helping to prop up Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
General Sergey Kisel, the commander in charge of Russian soldiers in Syria, has been removed from his post and replaced by General Alexander Chayko.
Chayko previously commanded Russian troops in Syria between 2017-2019. Additionally, Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev has been sent to Russia’s naval base in Tartus.
Russia has two major military bases in Syria: the airfield in Khmeimim in the northwest and the naval port of Tartus, further south.
They are protected by S-300 and S-400 air missile defence systems.
