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Moscow Confirms Continuation of Controversial Russian Military Presence in Syria
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The continued Russian military presence in Syria raises questions about the transitional government's commitment to reconsidering relations with powers responsible for civilian casualties
Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, announced that Russian military forces in Syria remain in their positions, explaining that Moscow continues dialogue with the Syrian government, ignoring escalating criticism about the role of these forces since their intervention in 2015.
This statement raises concerns among Syrians who consider Russian forces responsible for thousands of civilian casualties during military operations conducted over years.
Nebenzia said in response to a question about the current Russian military presence in Syria: "There is dialogue between Russia and the transitional government. As you know, our special envoy visited Syria. And President Vladimir Putin spoke with the transitional phase president Ahmad al-Shara."
These statements ignore popular demands for accountability for all parties involved in targeting civilians, including Russian forces that participated in bombing hospitals, markets, and schools.
He added: "Our military forces are where they have always been. We are talking with the Syrians, with the current Syrian government." This position shows Moscow's desire to maintain its military influence built since its direct intervention in 2015, which changed the balance of power in the conflict at the expense of the aspirations of a wide segment of Syrians.
Al-Shara had previously stated that the new administration is interested in "building strategic relations and restoring them with Russia on the basis of Syrian state sovereignty, security stability, and independence of decision." This approach puts the transitional government in an embarrassing position before Syrian public opinion, which awaits more firm positions toward the powers that contributed to the suffering of Syrians throughout the years of war.
It is worth noting that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, accompanied by the Russian President's Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and a Russian government delegation, made the first visit to Damascus last January after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
The acceleration in Russian communication with the new authority reflects an attempt to ensure the continuation of Russian influence in Syria, without accountability for the military role that Moscow played in supporting the previous regime and the resulting human losses.
At that time, the Russian side confirmed its steadfast support for Syria's territorial unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty over all its lands, and expressed its readiness to lend a helping hand to the Syrian people and provide necessary assistance in the country's reconstruction after the crisis, overlooking its role in exacerbating that crisis and its responsibility for destroying the infrastructure that it now offers to help rebuild.
