Syria, Russia and Assad

Russian government delegation makes first official visit to Syria since Assad’s fall
A delegation of Russian officials is in Damascus, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. It is the first such visit to Syria since the fall in December of former President Bashar Assad, an ally of Moscow.
Russian Envoys Arrive in Syria for First Time Since al-Assad Fell
Russia’s deputy foreign minister and a special presidential envoy for Syria arrived in Damascus on Tuesday, according to Russian state news.
Russian Delegation in First Syria Visit Since Assad Fall, TASS Reports
MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian delegation has arrived in Damascus for the first time since Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Russia's TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, as Russia tries to secure the future of its military bases in Syria.
Russian delegation visits Damascus to secure military bases after Assad’s fall
Russia, a longtime supporter of Assad’s regime, provided military assistance to bolster Assad against rebel forces throughout Syria’s protracted civil war.
Russian delegation makes first official visit to Syria since ousting of Assad
News agency RIA Novo said the delegation included Russia’s deputy foreign minister and the Russian president’s special envoy for Syria.
Senior Russian Official to Visit Syria, Sources Say
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov is set to meet Syria's new rulers this week in Damascus, two Syrian sources said on Tuesday, in the first visit by Russian officials since Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled.
Russian government delegation arrives in Syria for talks, TASS reports
A Russian government delegation has arrived in Damascus for the first time since Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Russia's TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday.
The discovery of brutal mass graves in Syria reveals Assad’s legacy of horror
Syria’s Civil Defense has uncovered over two dozen charred bodies in two basements in rural Damascus, adding to the growing ...
The New Yorker1d
A Witness in Assad’s Dungeons
A few days after the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled into exile, in December, an elderly woman sat on the sidewalk ...
Once off-limits to Syrians, Assad's former summer residence now attracts tourists
The summer home of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad was once off-limits to ordinary Syrians. Now people are lining up to visit ...
Battle Lines: Hunting Assad’s henchmen in Syria and Congo’s war for blood minerals
New Middle East correspondent Henry Bodkin talks to Venetia Rainey about his recent trip to Syria where he went out on the ...
Al-Monitor19h
Books banned under Assad now on sale at Damascus shops
Books recounting torture in Syrian prisons or texts on radical Islamic theology now sit openly in Damascus bookstores, no ...
Syria's new leaders turn to Islamic law in effort to rebuild Assad's police
Officers say the move aims to instil a sense of morality as they race to fill a security vacuum after dismantling ousted ...
Saidnaya prison, a microcosm of the al-Assad regime's barbarity
Built on a hill 30 kilometers from Damascus, the Saidnaya prison has instilled terror in generations of Syrians: a place of ...