Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin
[ColonelCassad] Following yesterday's talks in Damascus, Russian military officials are reported to have already begun surveying the terrain in southwestern Syria, where Russian forces will be deployed again. A Russian convoy of 15 vehicles was spotted yesterday near Quneitra.
Rosgvardia will likely be present, setting up observation posts and patrol routes (as has been the case with joint Russian-Turkish patrols in Rojava for many years). As a result, instead of withdrawing from Syria after Assad's fall, Russia is once again expanding its military presence in Syria. Bases in Khmeimim and Tartus, as well as in Qamishli, naturally continue to operate.
Cost minimization. Judging by the current situation, Yevkurov has settled everything with his "green" counterparties.
There are also rumors that the Turks want to directly intervene in this patrolling, but the idea of ​​Turkish troops appearing in southwestern Syria makes Israel's eyes twitch.
Previously from Boris Rozhin:
Do you remember how you bombed me...
Yesterday, official talks were held in Syria between a delegation from the Russian Ministry of Defense and the leadership of the "Green Syria" Defense Ministry.
The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who has specialized in international contacts with countries in Asia and Africa in recent years. They discussed issues related to Russian bases, the "Green Syria" group's requests for weapons, and requests for a significant expansion of Russia's military presence in Syria, primarily along the Israeli border in Daraa and Quneitra.
Ironically, the militants who seized power in Syria are now asking Russia to increase its military presence there to stabilize the situation. Yet, just about a year ago, our bombers were battering their convoys. But as we see from ongoing contacts, the militants prefer to forget this, while Russia is focused on minimizing the consequences of Assad's fall (in which it has succeeded so far) and, above all, preserving important military bases essential for the development of its African strategy.
Of course, there's no great friendship here—there's a clash of interests, and that's what's being negotiated. Russia has already rejected the militants' demands, such as Assad's extradition, and the parties have moved on to more realistic agreement scenarios.