Russia begins preparations for military pull-out from Syria

Cargo planes being readied for withdrawal of fighter jets and bombers, officials say

Russia began withdrawing military equipment from Syria on Tuesday, a day after Vladimir Putin declared that his bombing campaign in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime was over.

The Russian defence ministry said that cargo planes at the Hmeimim base in Syria were being readied for the withdrawal, which will see fighter jets and bombers return home.

"Technicians at the airbase have begun preparing aircraft for long-range flights to airbases in the Russian Federation," a defence ministry statement said.

The Russian president announced on Monday that Moscow was set to withdraw the "most part" of its forces in Syria, claiming that his controversial military intervention on the Syrian president's behalf had created the conditions for peace.

The move came on the of the five year anniversary of the war, and as peace talks continued in Geneva aimed at sustaining a cease-fire that has largely held since February 27.

If the withdrawal is carried out, it could be a sign is Russia sincere in its claim it wants to end the fighting in Syria, after a conflict that has killed nearly half a million people and created millions of refugees.

However, critics say Mr Putin's announcement will mean little if it does not lead to an end to Russian air strikes against the opponents of Assad and on civilian areas.

Russia began bombing five months ago with the stated aim of destroying "terrorist" groups inside Syria, but in reality it focused its fire on rebel opponents of Mr Assad rather than groups like Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Mr Putin said he hoped the withdrawal would provide a "good signal" for all the warring sides in the conflict.

Dmitry Peskov, the chief Kremlin spokesman, said on Monday that Moscow's Hmeimim air base and its Tartus naval facility would remain functioning and that some military contingents would stay behind.

The United Nations Security Council said on Monday night that it viewed Russia's decision to begin withdrawing from Syria as a positive step.

• Five years of war in Syria - is there any hope of an end?

The council discussed the surprise Russian announcement during a closed-door meeting, when it also heard a report from UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on a new round of peace talks that opened in Geneva.

"The decision just announced today by the Russian president - that's a positive step," said Angolan ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, who holds the council's rotating presidency this month. "That's what we like to see."

Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador, said after the meeting that "finally" all the components of Syria's peace process were in place, including a cessation of hostilities, humanitarian aid deliveries and negotiations.

He added that some council members understood that the Russian decision to begin withdrawing "shows our deep commitment to the political process" to end Syria's war.

"I think this is a proper interpretation of this decision," Mr Churkin said in comments released by the Russian mission to the United Nations.