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Jamal Saidi / Reuters
Lebanese soldiers escort Russian nationals traveling across the border in a convoy from Damascus on Tuesday.
Four buses carrying Russian citizens escaping the Syrian civil war crossed into Lebanon on Tuesday, in the first evacuation organized by Moscow since the start of the conflict nearly two years ago.
About 80 people, mostly women and children, were on the buses, according to an official from the Russian Embassy in Beirut who was waiting for the group at the Masnaa border crossing in eastern Lebanon. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The evacuation was the strongest sign yet of Russia's doubts in the ability of President Bashar Assad's regime to cling to power in Syria.
Russian officials said Monday that about 100 of their citizens in Syria would be taken out overland to Lebanon and flown home from there, presumably because of renewed fighting near Damascus airport.
They also said thousands more could follow — many of them Russian women married to Syrians — and later evacuations could be by both air and sea.
Syrian troops have been fighting off rebels who are trying to capture military bases in the north of the country. Attacks on government bases have been the recent focus of fighting in the Syria conflict. The daily struggle continues for families in the South as buying bread means crossing the front line. NBC's Bill Neely reports.
Russia has been Assad's main ally since the uprising against him began in March 2011, using its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to shield Damascus from international sanctions over the Syrian regime's brutal crackdown on dissent.
But last month, Russia started distancing itself from Assad, with President Vladimir Putin saying he understood that Syria needed to change and that he was not protecting the Syrian ruler.
The Kremlin's evacuation of Russians may mark a turning point in its view of the civil war, representing increasing doubts about Assad's hold on power and a sober understanding that it has to start rescue efforts before it becomes too late.
"It's a sign of distrust in Assad, who seems unlikely to hold on to power," said Alexei Malashenko, a Middle East expert with the Carnegie Endowment's Moscow office.
Malashenko said that the evacuation reflected a strong concern in Moscow that Assad's fall would put Russians in grave danger. "There is a strong likelihood that Assad's foes could unleash a massacre of those whom they see as his supporters," he said.
Some of the Russians inside the buses crossing into Lebanon on Tuesday closed the curtains so that they wouldn't be seen by journalists waiting at the border. Many declined to comment, and those who did said they were going home to visit relatives.
The group was expected to travel to the Lebanese capital and board two planes that Russia sent to Beirut to take them home.
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maybe this civil war can start the next world war... who knows
Nope, this is the first real sign that it's over.
Moises, the Syrian civil war, the war between the Israelis and Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, the war between the USA and Muslim extremists (redundant?), the war between India and Pakistan, the war between Russia and its southern Islamic breakaway regions have been signs for a while that we are already in a world war. It is the West versus Islam. As long as the Muslims insist on conquering the world and forcing non-Muslims to convert, there will always be a war. When the Muslims invaded Jerusalem, the Christian West sent in its crusaders. That was the beginning.
"Russia started distancing itself from Assad, with President Vladimir Putin saying he understood that Syria needed to change and that he was not protecting the Syrian ruler."
For those, who scream about Russian and Chinese support, just see for yourself!
Russian and Chinese are good cheerleaders from the side.
They don't get too much involved in wars (Afghanistan is an exception) unlike us (Iraqi wars and Afghan war) in Muslim nations.
Assad should not give up.
He and his forces should eliminate as many Sunni Syrian rebels, who are supported by Islamic extremists like al Qaida, MB, Salaffi and other Sunni extremist groups.
Where the brave Hezbollah? Are they hiding behind women burkhas/niqabs or in tents?
Where are brave Iranian Shiites' Khomenis? Are they hiding in their mosques?
China is busy--they now own 33% of all gas and natural gas which lies beneath Colorado and Wyoming--the land totals 800,000 acres--Chesapeake Energy sold it to China----CN00C-Ltd---I call this the selling of America---which the President gave to illegal Mexicans--20,000,000 American without jobs---many taken by Mexicans as they will work for $4.00 an hour----------Many Americans are living in the woods--in tents--Daytona Beach--Florida--area. Sad but true
China has also taken over the Canadian energy firm--NEXEN--the U.K.'s bigest oil field--Also Nexon also owns oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico---thanks Obama
Alan Fischer: Iraqi wars and oil price manipulations to very high levels have ruined our economy.
Talk about unemployment and other tough days, I know them very well.
For this reason, I oppose Syrian intervention or any wars and sanctions on Iranian oil.
Remove sanctions on Iranian oil to crash oil prices. Lowering of gas prices will help us also.
I am a loser in opposing wars also. Many are gung-ho as usual on wars or interventions.
Assad should not only give up to save thousands of lives, but he should stand trial for his genocide b/c he was only thinking of himself when he slaughtered and tortured tens of thousands of syrians in his corrupted effort to stay in power.
syrians should "Saddam" Assad before he gets a "Gadhafi"
OK... so Russia is Syria's BIGGEST ally. The writing is no longer on the wall. It's all up in our faces. Syria is DONE as a nation now.
Russian running for their lives.
How so 50,000 Russians are in Syria. and 200 children and women who are sick leave? Also getting so may not be taken hostage and beheaded from your terrorist friends.
Heads up that the gas is coming? Hope not.
There are no good guys in this fight. I'm rooting for the Kurds to get all the land northeast of the Euphrates.
They need a homeland and Turks and Iraqis keep killing them everywhere else.
Split Syria into 3 sections
Ethnic Turks , Christians and Shia get the north west
Kurds get the north east
Sunni get the whole south.
Stop the killing
Colonel Lawrence of Lawrence of Arabia fame .
Suggested to the British high command that the countries that they were making (Iraq for example) be based on tribal territorial lines.
In that case the Kurds, Shia and Sunni would have less conflict and their own lands. Instead, they literally forced people who hate each other together.
With very few exceptions, colonialism made conflict for decades to come.
Assad should take his money and run. France will take him........they take everyone.
Russia.
Any Russians that were left in Syria at this point in the conflict had to be involved with keeping Assad safe and making sure the rebels stayed out of Damascus. Assad claimed that his army was not responsible for the killing of rebels, but that only means he had brought in Russian troops to use as assassins, so he could make that claim and technically not be lying. According to the Kremlin, there are still several thousand Russians in Syria, and they and their 'equipment' will be evacuated soon via a landing ship that was brought from Russia to the Syrian coast. Iran will probably not bother to remove their infiltrated spies and murderers, because they speak the language and can hide among the population when things finally go to hell in a hand basket.
Now the rest of the story- the Russians who left Syria's Aleppo since Russia closed its consulate there- are women and children who were bussed to Lebanon and on on their way to Moscow (Russia) on 2 airplanes. One a Yak-42 and the other Il-76 which seat ca. 50 each. They were evacuated from ALEPPO- not Damascus. Russia has the biggest naval 'exercises' on the Mediterranian with different fleets. In the meanwhile Qatar's Al-Thune wants to send an Arab Army to Syria to topple Assad. Assad's mother is in Dubai (UAE).
At least the Russians support their Diplomats in Danger and Get Them Out Of Harms Way, not like our POTUS, Secretary of Defense here in the USA have done!