RTVI releases Syria field report on post-Assad conditions

RTVI has published a field report from correspondent Katya Kazanchuk examining Syria after Assad, following sanctions relief and the rise of a transitional government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The report focuses on the country’s fragile economy, postwar violence, Christian communities, Kurdish-held areas and the political record of Syria’s new leader.

Why it matters: - Syria is entering a new political phase after the lifting of Western sanctions and the formation of a transitional government. - The report shows how that shift has not yet translated into broad stability or recovery for many residents. - The reporting also highlights unresolved security concerns, sectarian tensions and uncertainty over minority rights.

What happened: - RTVI released "Syria After Assad," a special field report by correspondent Katya Kazanchuk. - The report was produced after Western sanctions were lifted and Ahmed al-Sharaa became president of Syria’s transitional government. - RTVI says the report examines the economy, violence along the coast, Christian communities in Maaloula and Saydnaya, the background of al-Sharaa and Kurdish-held areas after the U.S. military withdrawal. - The full report is available on RTVI News on YouTube.

The details: - A Damascus café owner told RTVI that average monthly pay is about $150 to $200, while basic living costs require $400 to $600. - The same interviewee said many enterprises and factories have shut down and that imported goods have flooded the market. - In May 2026, Syrian authorities carried out the country’s first cashless payment in 15 years. - Residents still rely mainly on cash, and bank cards are rarely accepted. - The report says loyalists of the former regime attacked new security posts in Latakia in March 2025, killing 16 soldiers. - RTVI cites about 1,500 people killed along the Syrian coast in the days that followed. - Human Rights Watch’s World Report 2026 says at least 1,400 people were killed in Alawi-majority areas of Tartous, Latakia and Hama governorates. - The UN Commission of Inquiry for Syria has said the attacks may have amounted to war crimes. - A Syrian immigrant interviewed by RTVI said new Syrian army units and affiliated armed groups arrived on the coast claiming an operation against former regime loyalists. - The interviewee described killings on religious grounds and extrajudicial executions. - Some people fled to Russian military bases for shelter, according to the report. - In Maaloula, residents told RTVI that about 250 Christian families remain, down from 800. - Residents said tensions rose in December 2024, when a local clash drew more than 2,000 armed men to the town. - One resident said the fear is growing because extremist ideology is spreading. - The report says Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, previously carried a $10 million U.S. bounty. - The report says al-Sharaa founded Jabhat al-Nusra, which the U.S. designated as al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate before it rebranded as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. - HTS entered Damascus in late 2024. - Al-Sharaa has since met with Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. - An expert interviewed for the report called al-Sharaa "the Chameleon" and said it is difficult to draw a line between radical and non-radical Islamists. - In early 2026, the U.S. announced its troop withdrawal from Syria, ending more than a decade of cooperation with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. - An expert told RTVI that Kurdish autonomy ended within days after Kurdish forces reached an agreement with Damascus.

Between the lines: - The report suggests Syria’s post-Assad transition is still defined by competing realities: diplomatic reintegration on one side, and economic hardship, sectarian fear and contested security on the other. - The coverage of al-Sharaa underlines the political tension around a leader with extremist roots now presenting himself as a national governing figure. - The Kurdish section points to a rapid power shift after the U.S. exit, with local autonomy giving way quickly to a deal with Damascus.

What's next: - Syria’s economic recovery will likely depend on whether sanctions relief reaches ordinary households and businesses. - The status of minority communities, coast-region security and Kurdish arrangements will remain key tests for the transitional government. - RTVI’s report is likely to add to scrutiny of al-Sharaa’s balancing act between international engagement and domestic legitimacy.

The bottom line: - RTVI’s field report portrays a Syria that is post-Assad in name but still struggling with poverty, violence and political uncertainty.