Syria had been a proxy war in the Middle East, but now Russia is moving troops from the war-torn country to aid its fight for east and southern Ukraine, according to reports.

Vladimir Putin has ordered troops from Syria to eastern Ukraine, according to The Moscow Times.

The Russian presence in Syria was 4,000 troops consolidated into one infantry brigade and three mechanized battalions, the Military Balance handbook for 2021 noted, according to reports.

Russia first started to signal the move out of Syria to Ukraine on April 16, when heavy losses in Ukraine reportedly forced the Kremlin to not rotate its "Syrian" units, according to the Times.

Also, Turkey banned Russian Federation civil and military aircraft flying to Syria from its airspace April 23, restricting Russia's options, the Times notes.

The lack of freedom of navigation to Syria, ostensibly forced Russia out of Syria to reposition forces in the Donbas region in Ukraine.

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