Russian troops begin evacuating from northern Syria
By Dmitriy Shapiro & Keti Korkiya | January 28, 2026
Putin meets with President of the Syrian Arab Republic Ahmed al-Sharaa. Photo by Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Wikipedia
Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa made his second visit to Moscow in four months on January 28, even as Russia is withdrawing its forces from the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria. Moscow may hope that its withdrawal will help ensure Damascus grants Russia continued access to key bases in western Syria.









