The most important thing, our absolute priority, is undoubtedly the safety of our citizens; everything is being done to ensure their integrity without making any distinction between our nationals, the spokeswoman told Sputnik radio station on Tuesday.

They are our citizens who are working there as specialists, of our soldiers, diplomats, relatives of Syrians, journalists, and people who cooperate with Russian media, including those with Russian passports who live in Syria, Zakharova stressed.

On November 27, opposition armed forces in northern Syria launched a major surprise offensive against the regular Army.

In less than two weeks, anti-government forces seized control of several major cities, including Aleppo, Hama, and Homs, and entered Damascus on Sunday to announce the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who served as Syria’s president since 2000.

A Kremlin source informed that Al-Assad and his family have arrived in Russia and been granted asylum on humanitarian considerations.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov confirmed on December 10 that the former Syrian president is safe in this country.

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