Contents tagged with Syria

  • Chief of General Staff of Russian Army: Russia may reduce the number of troops in Syria

    There could be a substantial reduction in the number of Russian troops in Syria by the end of the year, as stated by the head of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, TASS reports.

      The news agency quotes Gerasimov as saying, “It seems that yes, after the completion of the military objectives, there will be only a few of them, of course, the decision will be made by the commander-in-chief and the troops will be reduced.” According to the head of the General Staff, the reconciliation center, two …

  • Putin tells Turkish and Iranian leaders that Assad is ready for constitutional reform

    RIA Novosti has reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin told the leaders of Turkey and Iran, Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani, about his talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    "We informed our colleagues about the conversation in Sochi with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. We noted the commitment of the Syrian leadership to the principles of a peaceful resolution of the political crisis, [and their] readiness to carry out constitutional reform and free, UN-supervised elections," …

  • Kremlin: Syria is the best tactical display for demonstration of Russian weapons

    First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Frants Klintsevich, while commenting on a ban on the participation of Russian military equipment in a British international airshow, which will be held in 2018, stated that best demonstration site in the world today for Russian weapons is Syria, newspaper Izvestia reports.

    The Airshow’s public relations arm explained earlier that the ban on the demonstration of Russian military equipment at the Farnborough …

  • Russian Media: Russia continues to test new weapons in Syria

    The newest Russian Stupor electromagnetic gun was sent to Syria for testing in the field. The new equipment will be used by Syrian special forces units, who are fighting in advanced positions, reports Russian Federal News agency.

    In battles against ISIS militants, Russia has used a number of new weapons developed by the defense industry that had never been used before in combat conditions. In particular, the new weapons include multi-purpose Su-30SM and Su-35S fighter jets, and X-101 cruise …

  • U.S. blocks Russian resolution in UN Security Council

    The United States blocked a proposal by Russia in the UN Security Council that was connected with the attack on the Russian embassy in Damascus, Interfax reports.

    The press secretary of Russia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Fyodor Strzhalkhovsky, said that the draft of the UN Security Council press statement proposed by Russia, condemning the attack by terrorists on the Russian embassy in Damascus on November 20, was again blocked by the American delegation.

    “This is yet another …

  • Russian embassy in Syria comes under mortar fire

    On Monday, November 20, the Russian embassy in Damascus (Syria) came under mortar fire. 

    Diplomats report that 122mm shells hit the territory of the embassy and caused some damage. Specifically, the fence, the building’s wall, power lines and the water supply system were damaged. No one was hurt.

    “We hope that our Western colleagues who are active in the Syrian issue on the UN Security Council will not keep silent, but have the courage to make an appropriate public assessment of the incident …

  • Media: Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard elite task force killed in Syria

    Iranian media reported that a commander of a military unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed in Syria in a battle with the Islamic State (the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant - ISIL).

    The Iranian Fars state news agency on November 19th reported that Khairullah Samadi, a commander of the Guards Corps military unit that was conducting a military operation in Syria, was killed on November 16th in combat clashes with ISIL near the city of Albu Kamal, which is currently controlled …

  • New vote may be taken in UN to investigate chemical attacks in Syria

    Diplomats of Sweden and Uruguay have prepared a new resolution which calls for a continuation of the UN investigation into who is responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, as stated by the representative of the Russian mission to the United Nations, Fyodor Strizhovsky, TASS news agency reports.

    According to him, two non-permanent members of the Security Council submitted a compromise proposal to restore the work of the UN Secretary-General’s Investigation Mechanism and the …

  • Russia vetoed Japan's UN resolution on the investigation of the chemical attacks in Syria

    On Friday, November 17, Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution submitted by Japan proposing to extend for a month an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The day before, Moscow also rejected the US proposal to continue the investigation.

    The mandate of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for a joint investigation, which was unanimously approved by 15 members of the UN Security Council, also expired on Friday.

    UN / OPCW experts …

  • Lavrov admits that Russia has no proof of U.S. collusion with ISIS

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov admitted that Moscow has no evidence of U.S. collusion with ISIS militant terrorists, reported Interfax news agency.

    At the same time, the Russian Foreign Minister noted that the actions of the Western coalition led by the United States in Syria makes Russian aviation tactics more difficult.

    According to the news agency, Lavrov responded to reporters’ questions about a British Air Force report that 250 ISIS militants were allowed to leave the city of …