Russia could stage a plane crash to cover up the operation to save Assad - GUR

Russia could have staged the plane crash to cover up the operation to rescue the deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those close to him.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced this on Facebook.

"Bashar Assad's flight from Damascus was accompanied by news about the disappearance of the signal of the Il-76T plane with the Syrian dictator on board from the monitoring radars, which was apparently caused by a shooting down or a plane crash. According to the available data, the aggressor state Russia used this disinformation to cover up its operation to rescue the Syrian leader and a limited circle of people close to him," the message reads.

The loss of the signal of Assad's plane from the radars, the GUR noted, is probably related to the actions of the crew, who followed the instructions of the Russians and flew under their guidance.

"Meanwhile, the situation of the Russian contingent in Syria is stable and difficult; the remnants of the group of the aggressor state continue to hastily pack up and leave by sea and sky. The first to escape were the Russian army's "cones". In particular, after the failed general Sergey Kisel, the newly appointed commander of the Russian military group in Syria, General Alexander Chaiko, left the territory of the Middle Eastern country - he was in command for a week," noted the Ministry of Defense of the Ministry of Defense.

To remove the remnants of their weapons, equipment and personnel, the Russians brought in additional ships, in particular from the Baltic fleet of the aggressor state.