The Russian military group in Syria deployed forces in several towns adjacent to Khmeimim Air Base on the coast, Erem News reported on March 25, citing sources from the region.
Earlier this month, the air base, which represents the focal point of Russian military deployment in Syria, opened its doors to nearly 10,000 civilians who fled a government crackdown targeting mainly members of the Alawite religious minority, which former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad belongs to.
The crackdown went on for over a week, leaving more than 1,600 civilians, mostly Alawites, dead, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.