”It has always been and will be with all dictators.” Ukraine reacted to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria

Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiga reacted to the fall of Bashar al-Assadʼs regime in Syria.

"Assad fell. This has always been and will be the case with all dictators who bet on Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him," he wrote.

And he added that now the main goal is to restore security in Syria and protect people from violence.

The Assad regime in Syria, which lasted for 24 years, fell on December 8 after an offensive by the Syrian opposition. The countryʼs prime minister is preparing to transfer the functions of the transitional government to her. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Bashar al-Assad left the post of president of Syria and left the country, adding that he gave the order to transfer power peacefully and before that held negotiations with the participants in the conflict.

What preceded

Active clashes between the rebels and Syrian troops began on November 27. The offensive was launched by the Syrian Revolutionary Forces in "response to months of continuous attacks on civilians" by the Assad regime in Aleppo province. It was the heaviest fighting in northwest Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition fighters.

On December 1, the media reported that Assadʼs forceshad lost control of Aleppo for the first time since the beginning of the military conflict that began more than a decade ago. Later, it became known that the Assad regime had lost the city of Hama, the fifth largest city in the country.

Civil war in Syria

The civil war in Syria has been going on since 2011. It began as a local confrontation, which gradually turned into an uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Over time, it involved not only the main states of the region, but also international organizations, military-political groups and other countries.

The main participants in the conflict are regular military formations that support President Bashar Assad, formations of the "moderate" Syrian opposition, Kurdish regionalists, as well as various terrorist groups. The parties to the conflict receive military aid from other countries: government forces are supported by Russia and Iran, while the Syrian opposition receives aid from Western countries, Turkey and the Gulf monarchies.

The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah also helped the Assad regime in the civil war and was present in Syria. However, it has now concentrated its forces in Lebanon to repel an Israeli offensive in the south of the country. During this conflict, Hezbollah lost thousands of fighters, as well as its commanders and leader Hassan Nasrallah.

As for Russiaʼs support, it has come to the aid of President Bashar Assad since 2011. Russia sent weapons to the country, which were accumulated by the Syrian troops, and also kept its own military bases with weapons there. In 2015, the Russians began fighting on the territory of Syria together with Hezbollah fighters. Videos and photos were circulated on social networks, in which fighters from the Syrian opposition allegedly captured Russian military equipment, including assault rifles and tanks.

• Due to the overthrow of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, supported by Tehran and Moscow, Russia is withdrawing its contingent from the country.

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