Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrives at the Kremlin for his meeting with Vladimir Putin, 15 October 2025. Photo: EPA / Sergei Savostyanov / Sputnik / Kremlin
The Russian military has begun withdrawing its forces from Qamishli Airport in northeastern Syria, Reuters reported on Tuesday, a day before Syria’s acting president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is due to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
According to the agency, the withdrawal is taking place gradually, with some units, equipment and hardware being redeployed to Russia’s far larger Hmeimim Airbase in the west of the country, while the remaining troops are being returned to Russia.
In the meantime, Russian flags are still reportedly flying over the airport, which has been used by the Russian military as an airfield since 2019, and two aircraft bearing Russian markings have been seen on the runway, according to Reuters.
Russian business daily Kommersant previously reported that the transitional Syrian authorities were expected to ask the Russian military to vacate Qamishli Airport, though most likely only after Damascus had successfully recaptured Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Syria’s acting president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is due to meet Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow on Wednesday, Syrian public broadcaster Syria TV said on Wednesday, though the issues to be discussed were not made public.
Sharaa first met with Putin in October, when he used his first official visit to Russia to begin rebuilding ties with Moscow following the ouster of Syria’s former president and longtime Kremlin ally Bashar al-Assad in December.
Though it is now vacating Qamishli Airport, Russia continues to have a significant military presence in Syria, operating both the Hmeimim Airbase, and a naval base in Tartus, further south. However, the future of both facilities has been uncertain since the fall of the Assad regime.
