Russia's Dec. 11 announcement of its intention to reduce the number of its military forces operating in Syria was the second such declaration since the Russian intervention started on Sept. 30, 2015. The first time Moscow announced a partial pullout was on March 15, 2016, about six months after the start of the Russian campaign in Syria.

However, the intensity of subsequent Russian airstrikes against areas controlled by the Syrian opposition, as well as the regime's subsequent gains on the ground, raised doubts among opposition ranks and the international community about the seriousness of the first withdrawal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Dec. 11 the start of a partial pullout of Russian troops after holding talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, during his visit to the Hmeimim military base in Latakia on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

The Russian withdrawal announcement was again met with skepticism by the United States, which has military bases and soldiers on Syrian soil. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway said on Dec. 11 that Russian comments about the withdrawal of troops from Syria do not necessarily mean the actual reduction of troops.