Russia engineered the dramatic downfall of Bashar al-Assad by staging a coup and ordering his army to surrender, according to Mihraç Ural, a commander in a Syrian militia group. In an interview with Yeni Özgür Politika’s İsmet Kayhan on Wednesday, Ural explained how the Russia government moved Assad from Damascus to Latakia, claiming he could govern from there, before abandoning key cities like Latakia, Tartus, and Homs without resistance on 7-8 December.
Ural alleges that Russia took control of the Syrian army’s 5th Corps, a unit of former rebels, and directed it to seize Damascus, handing power to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist militia. “They withdrew without firing a bullet,” he said, describing how a small group of 10-15 men took Latakia after the state collapsed. He also claims General Ali Mahmoud, a senior officer who resisted, was killed by a Russian officer for refusing to comply.
Since Assad’s fall, Turkey has moved in, with Ural accusing the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) of operating freely in Syria’s Alawite areas, using vehicles with Ankara plates. HTS and the Syrian National Army (SNA), both backed by Turkey, have attacked Alawites and Kurds, deepening the chaos that began when they toppled the Ba’ath regime on 7 December after 53 years in power.
Ural warns that Alawites face massacres and need a federal system to survive. “Death will come knocking if they don’t organise,” he urged. He sees hope in an alliance with Kurds, who have already built a strong structure, but doubts HTS can govern long-term due to its internal divisions.
