In what could be an obscure signal that the government of Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad is nearing collapse, Russia has sent two planes to the middle east to evacuate Russian civilians that may want to leave that country.

A Russian spokeswoman has stated that as many as 100 of their citizens are expected to board the planes after leaving the middle eastern country by bus into Lebanon.

A Russian diplomat in Lebanon, didn’t charactorize the mass exit as an evacuation however. “This is not in any way an evacuation, what’s going on is that they are sending everyone who wants to go on these two airplanes,” the diplomat was quoted as saying. The emergency flights are free, he said, and may be necessary for families “whose homes have been destroyed, and who are left without food and shelter.”

Russia has been Syria’s chief international supporter throughout the two years that conflict has plagued the country and so any discussion of an evacuation is highly sensitive.

Russia announced last week that it was closing its consulate in Aleppo, that after double bombings took the lives of 82 people.

While much is being made of the exit of about 100 people Russian citizens from Syria, it should be pointed out that Syria is home to about 30,000 Russian citizens. The majority of those individuals are government and military personnel and contractors. A portion of those are also Russian women who are married to Syrians.

But, Moscow has been making contingency plans for larger evacuations if needed. A larger operation would most certtainly utilize Russia’s navy to escort the citizens back to their home country.

The Russian citizens leaving the middle east for home will depart on the planes Tuesday and Wednesday.