“We need to understand that this of course is a tailor-made…planned, very good and juicy information campaign that all of Russia’s operations with the Aerospace Forces looks like a new Afghanistan. Why? This was very painful for us. And the most important thing is that it hits practically everyone. But on the other hand, of course, this campaign failed. Now they’re beginning to win it back,” Zakharova said on Russia’s Govorit Moskva (Moscow Speaking) radio station.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of the main part of the country’s forces from Syria as they had fulfilled the task assigned to them. Putin said the remaining groupings in Hmeymim in Syria's Latakia province and the naval base in the port of Tartus would play a key role in monitoring the cessation of hostilities between Syrian government and rebel forces.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and radical Islamists. Russia had been conducting an aerial campaign against terrorists in Syria since September 30 at Assad's request.
