Contents tagged with Syria

  • Media: Russia is increasing its military presence in Syria

    Russia is significantly increasing its military presence in Syria after the ceasefire broke down. It has deployed servicemen, aircraft and advanced missile systems to the country, Reuters reported, citing publicly available sources. The analysis of this data shows that Russia has doubled its military presence by air and sea compared with the almost two-week period that preceded the truce.

    It is the largest deployment of Russian Armed Forces in Syria since the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, …

  • Russia to establish permanent naval base in Tartus, Syria

    Russia’s Defense Ministry is preparing the documents needed to establish a permanent military base in Syria’s Port of Tartus, Interfax reported, referencing Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov.

    “On Syrian territory, we will have a permanent naval base in Tartus. The relevant documents have been prepared,” Pankov said.

    Tartus is the only logistics point of the Russian Navy located outside the former Soviet Union.

    The announcement comes less than a week after Russia deployed S-400 anti- …

  • Strelkov: If there were direct conflict between Russia and US in Syria, Ukraine would launch offensive in Donbas

    The former Minister of Defense of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Igor Strelkov (Girkin), did not exclude the possible escalation of the situation in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine as a result of Russia’s Syrian campaign.

    “I am closely watching the events in Syria and the Donbas. Because for me it’s an axiom — if the U.S.A. decides on a direct armed conflict with Russia in Syria, then it will be a logical step for the U.S. political and military leadership to throw …

  • Syrian opposition calls for new sanctions against Russia

    Representatives from the Syrian opposition have called on the European Union to impose sanctions against Russia for the use of high-tech weapons, including the bunker-buster bombs that it uses against the civilian population in eastern Aleppo, a senior member of the opposition Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Bassma Kodmani, said.

    “The EU should immediately introduce targeted sanctions against Russian officials and companies that are directly involved in the uncontrolled attacks …

  • German Bundestag confirmed intention to impose sanctions against Russia because of Syria

    The Chairman of the Bundestag's Committee on Foreign Affairs, Norbert Röttgen, stated that Russia must be held accountable for military crimes in Syria and confirmed the possibility of sanctions against Moscow, as reported by Suddeutsche Zeitung.

    "The absence of sanctions for horrible military crimes would be scandalous,” he said. Röttgen also stressed that the new sanctions will have an impact on Russian policy, although it might not happen immediately. He also criticized other European …

  • Russian MFA: US accusations about Russian war crimes in Syria are propaganda

    During an interview with TV Dozhd, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s statement about Russian war crimes in Syria, calling it propaganda.

    According to her, “there are very serious legal consequences” behind the terminology in his words.

    “And I think Kerry is using all these terms to escalate the situation. If it comes to war crimes, US officials must begin with Iraq. And then continue with Libya. Be sure to mention Yemen, to …

  • Russia tested latest missiles in Syria

    Russia has used the new X-101 air-launched missiles in combat for the first time in Syria. Interfax reported that this was said by the head of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, Sergey Shoygu.

    “We gained practical experience in firing long-range precision-guided weapons from ships and submarines in the Caspian and Mediterranean seas. Strategic aviation aircraft used the new X-101 air-launched missiles for the first time. These missiles have a range of up to 4,500 kilometers in a real combat …

  • Russia warns US-led coalition not to fly close to its bases in Syria

    The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation made a statement about how the Russian military will use air defense in Syria after relations with the United States have worsened.

    “I remind the US strategists that air cover for the Russian military bases in Tartus and Hmeymim includes S-400 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, the range of which may come as a surprise to any unidentified flying objects,” Major General Konashenkov stated. According to him, “today the Syrian army has S-200, …

  • Russian Embassy in Damascus attacked with mortars

    The Russian Embassy in Damascus has been shelled by mortars. This was reported on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 4th of October.

    According to the ministry, one of the mines exploded near a residential complex on the territory of the embassy. Two more mines exploded near the embassy. No one was hurt in the explosions. The ministry did however state that the embassy’s building sustained some damage.

    The shelling was reportedly conducted from the suburb of Jobar in …

  • Pentagon: Russian S-300 air defense systems in Syria pose a danger to US aircraft

    The deployment of Russian S-300 air defense systems in Syria can be a danger to U.S. military aircraft, depending on the use of these weapons, Defense Ministry spokesman, Peter Cook, said at a briefing in Washington.

    According to the Pentagon’s representative, the U.S. military does not know why Moscow sent an anti-aircraft missile system to the Arab Republic, The Washington Post writes. Russia initially cited the fight against extremism as its purpose, however neither the Islamic State nor …