Russia transfers additional warplanes to Syria
On Friday, March 30, Al-Masdar News reported that three Russian planes have arrived at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria.
According to the publication, a Tu-154M airliner and two Su-34 fighter-bombers were flown in from Russia. As a result, the number of Su-34s at the base increased to eight. Even an increase of just two aircraft of this type is a noticeable increase in strike force capabilities.
At the same time, it is likely that the fighters have only been left at the base provisionally. They may simply be accompanying the Tu-154M, or making an intermediate stop, the news outlet.
A video showing an attack by Russian military helicopters on militant positions in Syria appeared on the network in March.
Several fifth-generation Su-57 Russian fighters arrived at the airfield in February. The Khmeimim air base has been the Russian Air Force base in Syria since 2015. Russian forces have been inflicting strikes against militants in Syria, at the request of the government in Damascus, since fall 2015.