**Syrian Opposition Takes Control of Latakia Province**
On December 8, Syrian opposition fighters took control of the Latakia province in Syria. This is a significant development because it puts Russian military facilities, including the Khmeimim airbase and the Tartus naval base, under opposition control.
However, according to reports from Russia, these facilities are still functioning normally and were not entered or threatened by the opposition fighters. A Kremlin source told state news agency TASS that the Russian bases were “not affected” by the change in control of the province.
**Reports Suggest Russia Withdraws Forces**
The reports come as Ukraine’s military intelligence agency claimed that Russia had begun withdrawing its naval and military assets from Syria amid the collapse of dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The opposition forces captured Damascus, the capital city, on December 8, marking the end of Assad’s 24-year rule.
**Russia Spends Billions on War with Ukraine**
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a conference in California that Russia has spent at least $200 billion on its war with Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022. President Joe Biden also commented on the conflict, saying that Russia’s support for Assad had failed and that Ukraine had put up a wall of resistance against invading Russian forces.
**Other Developments**
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced plans to introduce a law banning participants in rallies from covering their faces. Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina was posthumously honored with the Special Prix Voltaire Award at an international publishers congress in Mexico. European Union Commissioner for Defense and Space, Andrius Kubilius, proposed allocating 100 billion euros for defense in the next seven-year EU budget.
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