Russias air base at Hmeimim in Syria is safeguarding about 9,000 people seeking haven from a wave of sectarian violence, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.Hmeimim is among 2 military bases in Syria that Russia is wanting to retain despite the toppling of its ally, former president Bashar al-Assad, by Islamist rebels in December.
They were seeking refuge, simply understanding that it referred life and death, Zakharova informed press reporters, Reuters reported.She added that the majority of the civilians taking shelter there were women and children.The sectarian violence in Syria has actually pitted the brand-new Islamist-led federal governments security forces against fighters from Assads Alawite minority.
Hundreds of Alawite civilians have actually been killed in what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said were reprisals after attacks on the security forces.The fall of Assad, whom Moscow had backed for several years in Syrias civil war, has actually dealt a heavy blow to its interests in the Middle East.Russia is attempting to construct relations with the new Syrian management under interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the future of the Hmeimim base and Tartous naval center stays unclear.Zakharova stated Russia was doing everything to secure the security of its citizens and facilities in Syria, and remained in active contact with Arab states, Turkey and Iran to try to ensure the long-term stabilisation of the country.Russia was surprised by the violence and hoped that the perpetrators would be punished, she stated.