Russia evacuates citizens from Syria

Russia has evacuated dozens of its citizens from Syria as the country's foreign minister warns that a military intervention by the US and its allies would destabilise the region.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry says it evacuated 89 people, 75 of them Russians, from Syria yesterday, with more expected today.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement that armed intervention being considered by the US and its allies "will lead to the long-term destabilisation of the situation in the country and the region."

News agency ITAR-TASS reported that the Russian Embassy in Syria insisted that there was no plan to evacuate diplomats.

Tens of thousands of Russian citizens live in Syria, the legacy of years of cooperation and exchange between the two countries.