ISTANBUL — On Dec. 9, Russia announced its control of most of the opposition-held areas of eastern Aleppo, after having raided the eastern neighborhoods in the wake of the fierce military campaign launched Nov. 15. The eastern neighborhoods, which accommodate around 250,000 civilians, had been in the grip of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) since 2012.

Russia used different types of weapons in its campaign supporting President Bashar al-Assad, which it had brought to the Mediterranean shores intermittently during 2016 to pave the way for taking over Aleppo. The campaign reached its peak Dec. 5, when the Syrian army and foreign militias took control of Aleppo’s old fortress, and the neighborhoods started to slip from the grip of the opposition. The Syrian regime and its allies ultimately controlled the entire city and reached an agreement to move the citizens from eastern Aleppo to its countryside.

Some civilians headed out of eastern Aleppo toward the government-controlled west with the regime’s escalation and entry into the east of the city. But after United Nations reports were issued about the disappearance of hundreds of civilians who migrated to the regime’s areas, the displacement wave stopped and civilians preferred to stay put despite the shelling.

Meanwhile, there were many calls from residents and activists to the world to save Aleppo and its people, and to open safe pathways toward the city’s countryside that the opposition controls.