Abandoned Overnight? Inside Russia’s Sudden Exit From Al‑Qamishli

Russia has withdrawn its contingent and equipment from the Al-Qamishli military airfield in northeastern Syria, according to on-site video published by Al-Monitor.

Journalists, using the video’s publication time and date as a reference, reported being able to enter the facility on the afternoon of January 26. Inside, they walked through one of the buildings previously used as Russian living quarters and found a scene that suggested a rapid departure: scattered personal belongings and various items of property left behind.

Despite the apparent pullout, one symbol of Russia’s presence remained visible. A Russian flag was still hanging above the control tower, left in place rather than taken down.

Equipment Seen Being Loaded Near Il-76 Transport Aircraft

The day before the reported entry, another video surfaced showing Russian activity near an Il-76MD military transport aircraft. In that footage, personnel were seen loading military equipment—an indication that assets were being moved out and redistributed to other locations.

Two sources had previously said that Russian troops began a gradual withdrawal from the airport last week. The expectation, according to those accounts, was that some personnel would relocate to the Hmeimim airbase in western Syria, while others would return to Russia.

That assessment aligns with a separate confirmation from a source in the Syrian security services, who said that Russian military equipment and heavy weapons had been transported to Hmeimim over the past two days.

A Base Used Since 2019, Now Facing a Changed Reality

The Al-Qamishli airfield—situated near the Turkish border—has been used by the Russian military for regional operations since 2019. But the local balance has shifted sharply in recent weeks after Syrian government forces entered territory previously controlled by the Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Against that backdrop, the airfield appears to have become politically and operationally harder for Russia to hold.

Damascus Signals It Wants Russia Out

The Russian Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the situation. Meanwhile, on January 21, it was announced that Syrian authorities plan to demand Russia’s departure from Al-Qamishli, arguing that “they (the Russians) have nothing to do there.”

If the reported withdrawal is complete, it would mark the end of a Russian foothold in a strategically sensitive corner of northeastern Syria—and a consolidation of Russian presence toward larger, more established hubs such as Hmeimim.