Russian military jets take off from the country's air base in Hmeymin, Syria to head back to Russia, part of a partial withdrawal ordered by President Vladimir Putin, in this still image taken from video March 15, 2016. (Reuters Photo)
The first group of Russian war planes has left Russia's Hmeymim air base in Syria and begun the long journey home, Russia's Defence Ministry said today.
The group included Sukhoi-34 fighter-bombers. The ministry said each group will be led home by either a Tupolev-154 passenger plane or an Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft carrying engineers, technical personnel, and cargo.
© Thomson Reuters 2016