Official Damascus is restoring control throughout the country.
Troops subordinate to the transitional Syrian government have entered the territory in northern Syria that was previously controlled by the Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). In this region near the border with Turkey lies the military airfield of Al-Qamishli, which Russia can freely use, and now Damascus is preparing to demand that Moscow leave this base, a Syrian source familiar with the situation reported.
This issue will begin to be discussed after the province of Hasakah, where Al-Qamishli is located, officially becomes part of Syria, exiting from under the control of Kurdish forces, the interlocutor said. "I believe the Russians will be asked to completely leave Al-Qamishli. They have nothing to do there now," he stated. According to him, the USA, which maintained a military presence in northeastern Syria, has also reduced its mission, abandoning further support for the Kurds.
The Al-Qamishli base has been used by Moscow to withdraw its military forces and equipment from the country to Russia and Libya after the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, said Anton Mardasov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council. "At the same time, this is an asset that can also serve as an alternative to the Khmeimim airbase of the Russian Federation in western Syria — a logistics hub for transit flights to Africa and a foothold for de-escalation between Turkey and the SDF," the expert noted.
Despite Assad's escape to Russia and the change of power in Syria, the Russian military police continued patrolling the area around Qamishli. In particular, Russian military personnel were spotted in the vicinity of the base a few days after the visit to Moscow by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the transitional Syrian government, Assad al-Shaybani, on July 31 - August 1, 2025.
Syrian publications then reported that Russia had increased its military presence in Qamishli; however, in the same month, the channel Syria TV, citing satellite images, reported on the partial evacuation of Russian equipment from the airfield.
According to Mardasov, it has already become clear that Russia is unlikely to continue playing the role of a mediator in the region against the backdrop of pressure on Kurdish formations and "increased regional competition." "Therefore, it is logical that the presence of Russian troops there will be completely rolled back," he noted.
Recently, after several days of fighting, Syrian authorities announced that preliminary agreements had been reached with the SDF. According to Damascus's requirements, Kurdish units must develop a peace plan for the integration of Hasakah into a unified Syrian state within four days and officially incorporate all military and law enforcement structures of the SDF into the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of Syria.
