Contents tagged with Syria

  • The largest dam in Syria partially collapsed as a result of the fighting near Raqqa

    The Tabqa dam on the Euphrates, Syria’s largest dam has been partially destroyed by the fighting between the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF coalition and the Islamic State terrorist group, as reported by RIA Novosti with a reference to the Lebanese TV channel Al Mayadeen.

    The Tabqa hydroelectric power station was built in the early 1970s with the assistance of Soviet specialists. It keeps in check the Al-Assad, the largest reservoir in the country.

    Al Mayadeen reported, citing informed …

  • Russia doubts Western coalition will take Syrian Raqqa soon

    The Russian Ministry of Defense said that it does not share the French Defense Minister’s optimism regarding the Western Coalition’s operation in Syrian Raqqa, which is considered a stronghold of the so-called Islamic State.

    “It is clear to any military specialist that the liberation of Raqqa will not be a walk in the park for the international coalition,” said Major-General Igor Konashenkov, official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, on Saturday, commenting on the statements …

  • Turkish Foreign Ministry summons Russian Envoy over soldier's death after shots fired from Syria

    The Turkish Foreign Ministry told Sergey Panov, Russia’s charge d’affaires to the Foreign Ministry, of its “serious concern” over the death of a Turkish soldier as a result of shooting from the territory of Syria.

    This was stated by Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu, as reported by TASS.

    “Yesterday, our soldier was killed as a result of the actions of a sniper. The shooting came from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, where Russia is responsible for enforcing the …

  • PACE President Agramunt brought a delegation from the Russian State Duma to Syria

    A delegation of deputies from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the State Duma of Russia headed by PACE President Pedro Agramunt arrived in Syria, despite the fact that Agramunt was not authorized to carry out such a visit by the Assembly or its bodies.

    This was reported by Russian "Channel One".

    According to the Russian channel, deputies from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Serbia and Italy, as well as deputies of the State Duma of Russia, arrived with Agramunt in …

  • Media: Russian soldier from private company died in Syria

    The Russian Internet publication Fontanka reports that Alexander Sagaydak, a 45-year-old Russian citizen who took part in military operations as part of a "private military company," was killed in Syria in February 2017.

    According to preliminary data, he died in late February 2017. His body was transported to the morgue of the military hospital in Rostov. According to the newspaper's interlocutors, the official cause of death is "heart failure".

    In the nineties, Sagaydak served for the …

  • Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons Israeli Ambassador after bombing in Syria

    Israeli ambassador to Moscow Gary Koren was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the incident involving Israel’s air attack on targets near the Syrian city of Palmyra.

    This was reported by Interfax in reference to the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation and Special Representative for the President to the Middle East and African Countries Mikhail Bogdanov.

    “Yes, he was asked about it,” said Bogdanov in answer to a question about whether the head of the …

  • Israeli Defense Minister: Syria’s Air Defense system will be destroyed if used against Israeli Air Force

    Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday that Syria’s air defense systems will be destroyed if they fire on Israeli planes.

    “The next time the Syrians use their air defense systems against our planes we will destroy them without the slightest hesitation,” Lieberman said while speaking to new military recruits at a military base in the central part of the country, as reported by the Israeli radio station Reshet Bet.

    According to a press release by the Israeli Defense Forces, …

  • Media: Russia tries contract soldier who served in Syria over loss of military property

    Russian contractor Artem Hilko, who served in Syria in one of the units of the Taman Motorized Rifle Division, has become a person of interest in a court case, reported Kommersant daily.

    The Private is being tried under Article 348 of the Criminal Code, which involves violation of the rules for the care of weapons, ammunition or military equipment entrusted for official use, if this led to their loss through negligence. What and under which circumstances Hilko lost such equipment is a secret …

  • The Kremlin confirms that Putin and Erdogan discussed coordinating military action in Syria

    The Presidents of The Russian Federation and Turkey - Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan - are in negotiations regarding the question of coordination of military actions in Syria, as reported by RIA Novosti citing the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov.

    "These questions were touched upon, and there exists a common understanding of the necessity of coordinating such actions," Peskov stated, responding to the question of whether an agreement was reached in Putin and …

  • Assad: Russia is the only real force against ISIS in Syria

    In an interview with the Chinese Phoenix News television channel, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called Russia the only force that is effectively fighting against the Islamic State.

     According to Assad, while U.S. President Donald Trump has called the fight with the so-called Islamic State one of his political priorities, Damascus has not seen any concrete actions to combat jihadists from the US.

    "The only serious side in this respect is Russia, which is effectively fighting ISIS in …