[Blitzer:] A cease-fire remains in effect in the Syrian city of Aleppo after it was extended a second time. Both the U.S. and Russia instrumental in trying to secure these truces, but questions remain about Russia's political motivation. In March, the Russian President Vladimir Putin called for the majority of forces in Syria to return home to Russia. But as senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, found out, the presence of Russian forces is bigger than you might think.
[Fred Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] This is the Russian intervention the world has come to know. But Russia's footprint in Syria seems to be far bigger than just combat jets. There are thousands of troops stationed at its main air base, disciplined and highly motivated. We caught one this first lieutenant during his boxing practice. "I'm glad to serve my country," he says, "and I'm not afraid. What is there to be afraid of in Syria?" The West has criticized Russia saying its air strikes target mostly moderate anti-Assad rebels. The Russians claiming they bomb only ISIS and other terror groups. But while Moscow says it's withdrawn most forces from Syria, on an embed we saw, what appeared to be several bases in western and central Syria with a variety of attack helicopters. Also a brand new base in Palmyra for its demining crews with dozens of fighting vehicles and even anti-aircraft missile systems. On top of it own assets, the military spokesman says his forces closely cooperate with Bashar al Assad's troops. "We receive a great deal of information from the Syrian general staff," he says. "They're on the ground and close to the rebels. As for the military technical cooperation, of course, we help them as well."
[Pleitgen:] None of this seems to indicate a full Russian withdrawal from Syria anytime soon. And for many in the government- held parts of Damascus, that's just fine. [on camera]: The people here in the government-held part of Damascus seem to be very well aware of the extent to which Russia's military has helped Bashar al Assad's forces, but they also say that if there's going to be a solution to the Syrian crisis, it has to come from Syrians themselves and not from outside powers. [voice-over]: Violence still rages in most of the country. Reconciliation seems nowhere in sight, and neither is an end to Russia's involvement in the conflict.
[Blitzer:] Fred is joining us live now from Damascus. Fred, Russians say they're the guests of the Syrian regime. Do they follow the lead of government forces, or do these Russian troops act on their own authority?
[Pleitgen:] They absolutely act on their own authority, Wolf. One thing that struck us when we were going around Syria, they're with the Russians was ease with which they move there. They don't really ask the Syrians for permission to go anywhere. They might tell them they're going somewhere but they don't ask for permission. They fly wherever they want, drive wherever they want, and they have access to any sort of area that is controlled by the Syrian government at this point in time. And, you know, one of the big questions we've been asking is, why they have so many ground forces around the country. And some of it could be for force protection. But, of course, one of the reasons for that is that they have such a big footprint now. That new base in Palmyra is pretty big. It's state of the art, very well maintained, and needs a substantial force to be able to protect it, as well. A lot more hardware there on the ground, and the Russians. And one thing we didn't see, Wolf, an army that seems to be ready to leave very soon. In fact, the opposite seems to be the case.
[Blitzer:] Do they release numbers? How many Russian troops are still on the ground?
[Pleitgen:] It's impossible to tell at this point. There's no real numbers out there. There are some people saying they believe it's between 6,000 and 8,000 at this point in time, but it's difficult to tell. The U.S., for instance, believes that the Russians might be moving artillery into the Aleppo area. The Russians haven't confirmed that in any way, shape or form. So at this time, it's difficult to tell. But I would say from what we saw, it's at least several thousands on the ground there for the Russians in various parts of the country Wolf?
[Blitzer:] All right. Fred Pleitgen, in Damascus for us, thank you. In North Korea today, hundreds of thousands flocked to the main square in Pyongyang for a highly choreographed parade. It's celebrating the end of the Workers' Party Congress, the first in decades. During the historic meeting, the leader, Kim Jong-Un, got a new title and a tighter grip on power. CNN's Will Ripley is inside North Korea. He was at the Congress for us Will?
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, a dramatic finish to the first Workers' Party's Congress in 36 years. Two huge celebrations in the square. One in morning, attended by this country's supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un, and waving from the stands to hundreds of thousands of North Koreans who have been practicing for months to make sure every move is perfect. In the evening, the teenagers did the same thing, except they were holding up torches, they were dancing. And there was a huge fireworks display. All of this to celebrate what happened over the weekend at the seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Congress. There is very little transparency in the North Korean government, aside from updates on state television. We in the media came here to cover it, pushing for access, and on the final day of the Congress, a handful of us were told to board a bus, put on suits, and bring our passports, but we didn't know where we were going. We passed the security check and rows of bodyguards and then we entered the venue where the Congress was being held. We walked in and, moments later, the leader and his highest-level party officials took the stage to thunderous applause. And that's when it was announced he has this brand-new title, created for him to give him even more authority, though it's hard to imagine him getting more power in a country where he already has absolute power. The vote, as you might expect, was unanimous, as the votes always are here in North Korea. Even though the citizens who were out celebrating in the capitol had no direct role in the political process the only people who had a vote were the 5,000 delegates in attendance, everybody else could only watch, listen and accept what the government was telling them.