Media: ISIS using Russian electronics in their weapons
Military specialists in Syria, investigating the weapons of terrorists who have been killed, found that snipers of the terrorist Islamic State and Jabhat an Nusra use night vision devices with Russian electronics, reports the newspaper Kommersant, citing unnamed sources.
“We found so-called electron-optical converters (EOP) produced by Russian companies,” the source said.
A criminal case has not yet been filed on the findings in Syria, as the investigation and verification process is continuing.
It is also reported that the militants use a wide variety of sniper rifles, including those that armies of NATO countries use. For example, they use the American Remington MSR and the Austrian Steyr Mannlicher SSG 08.
According to the newspaper, Russian specialists began to study the armament of terrorists immediately after the beginning of Russia's participation in the Syrian conflict. Particular attention was given to sniper rifles, as sniper fire killed at least four Russians participating in the fighting in Syria.
The newspaper notes that it is not known how the terrorists obtained the Russian electronics. According to official reports, criminal cases under Article 348 of the Criminal Code (loss of military property) have not been filed.
As has been reported, the official number of Russian military personnel that have been killed during the Syrian campaign is more than 30. According to the media, the number of Russians killed in Syria may be more, since some of them participated in the conflict as contract soldiers from private military companies. Russia has been conducting a military operation in Syria since the fall of 2015. Russian authorities maintain that only air offensives have been involved in the operation, and there are no plans to launch a large-scale ground operation.
The largest number of Russian casualties in a single combat event was five. The servicemen were killed last August. The Mi-8 helicopter in which they were flying was shot down. Both pilots and three passengers were killed.