Russian warplanes flew home from Syria on Tuesday as Moscow started to withdraw forces that have tipped the war President Bashar al-Assad's way, and the U.N. envoy said he hoped the move would help peace talks in Geneva.
As the first aircraft touched down in Russia, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura called President Vladimir Putin's surprise move a "significant development" toward resolving a conflict which this week passes its fifth anniversary.