Russia says 9,000 Syrians fleeing violence have taken refuge at its Hmeimim air base

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MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s air base at Hmeimim in Syria is sheltering about 9,000 people seeking refuge from a wave of sectarian violence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Hmeimim is one of two military bases in Syria that Russia is hoping to retain despite the toppling of its ally, former president Bashar al-Assad, by Islamist rebels in December.

“They were seeking refuge, simply understanding that it was a matter of life and death,” Zakharova told reporters, adding that most of the civilians taking shelter there were women and children.

The sectarian violence in Syria has pitted the new Islamist-led government’s security forces against fighters from Assad’s Alawite minority. Hundreds of Alawite civilians have been killed in what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said were reprisals after attacks on the security forces.

The fall of Assad, whom Moscow had backed for years in Syria’s civil war, has dealt a heavy blow to its interests in the Middle East.

Russia is trying to build relations with the new Syrian leadership under interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the future of the Hmeimim base and Tartous naval facility remains unclear.

Zakharova said Russia was doing everything to secure the safety of its citizens and facilities in Syria, and was in active contact with Arab states, Turkey and Iran to try to ensure the long-term stabilisation of the country.

Russia was shocked by the violence and hoped that the perpetrators would be punished, she said.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Gareth Jones)