Moscow: Russia has begun to withdraw military equipment from Syria, the defence ministry said yesterday, after Moscow announced it would pull the bulk of its forces from the war-torn country.
<img title="Vladimir Putin" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/mar/16Vladimir-Putin.jpg" alt="Vladimir Putin" /> Vladimir Putin
&ldquo;Technicians at the (Hmeimim) airbase have begun preparing aircraft for long-range flights to airbases in the Russian Federation,&rdquo; the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that military equipment was being loaded onto the planes.
<img title="This file picture from the Russian Defence Ministry's official Facebook page on November 26, 2015 shows Russia's S-400 air defence missile systems at the Hmeimim air base in Syria. Pics/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/mar/Syria.jpg" alt="This file picture from the Russian Defence Ministry's official Facebook page on November 26, 2015 shows Russia's S-400 air defence missile systems at the Hmeimim air base in Syria. Pics/AFP" /> This file picture from the Russian Defence Ministry's official Facebook page on November 26, 2015 shows Russia's S-400 air defence missile systems at the Hmeimim air base in Syria. Pics/AFP
Pressure on&nbsp; Assad President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday night that Moscow was set to withdraw the &ldquo;most part&rdquo; of its troops in Syria, ending its controversial bombing campaign. The move, which came as peace talks to end the five-year conflict were underway in Geneva, is expected to put more pressure on President Bashar al-Assad, Russia&rsquo;s long-standing ally, to negotiate a solution to end the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow&rsquo;s Hmeimim air base in Syria and its Tartus naval facility would remain functional and that some military contingents would stay behind.&nbsp; He did not, however, give any details on how many soldiers would stay in Syria, nor whether Russia&rsquo;s S-400 air defence systems and combat planes would remain in the country.

Following President Vladimir Putin&rsquo;s announcement on ending its controversial bombing campaign in Syria, Moscow has begun the removal of its military equipment

Russia pulls out

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Russia pulls out

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