Peskov said Moscow has contacts with forces in control of Syria

The Russian side maintains contacts with the forces in control of Syria. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 11.

"We cannot but be in contact with those on the ground controlling the situation, because, I repeat once again, there are our facilities there, our people in the first place," he said at a briefing.

He also noted that the Kremlin is closely monitoring what is happening in Syria.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on December 8 that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, after negotiations with the opposition, decided to leave the post of head of state and leave the country, instructing to carry out the transfer of power peacefully. The National Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces of Syria on the same day said it was working to form a transitional authority.

Arab Spring 2.0: armed opposition in Syria claims control of Damascus

The country's prime minister has signaled his readiness to hand over power to the new leadership

On Monday, December 9, it was confirmed that Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow. SAR Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali said on December 8 that most Syrian government officials remain in Damascus and that he himself is ready to cooperate with any elected leadership.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, for her part, said that Russia's priority in the situation of escalation in Syria is to ensure the safety of Russian citizens. According to her, everything necessary is being done for this purpose.

The situation in Syria has escalated as a result of a major attack by armed formations in Aleppo and Idlib, which began on November 28 and led to retaliatory actions of the Syrian army against the militants.