Russia is withdrawing its aircraft carrier and some other warships from the waters off Syria as the first step in drawing down of forces in the country.
Russian general staff chief General Valery Gerasimov said on Friday the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier and accompanying ships are to be the first to leave.
"In accordance with the decision by the supreme commander-in-chief (President) Vladimir Putin, the Defence Ministry is starting to downsize the grouping of armed forces in Syria," he said, the Tass news agency reported.
Moscow has been a key supporter of Syrian president Bashar Assad's government and forces in the Middle East country's devastating civil war.