What happens now?

Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, said the truce will include 62,000 opposition fighters from seven groups across Syria but will exclude Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (Isil) and the formerly al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS).

Those who do not observe the ceasefire “will be treated as terrorists,” Mr Shoigu said.

The agreement also excludes the YPG, the Kurdish militia that has carved out de-facto autonomous areas in the north of the country. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization.

Spokesmen for the Free Syrian Army, an alliance of rebel groups, said they would abide by the ceasefire.

Leaders from the opposition told the Telegraph all rebel-held areas of Syria would be covered.

However, uncertainty remains about the province of Idlib, which is now the opposition’s largest stronghold and home to thousands of fighters and civilians forcefully evacuated from Aleppo.

The area is largely under the control of JFS and more extreme Islamist groups such as Ahrar al-Sham. Ahrar al-Sham is one of the seven groups the Russian ministry of defence said had signed the ceasefire deal, although Moscow has previously described it as a terrorist group.