Contents tagged with Syria

  • Russian Military Analyst: The Russian Navy will not change the balance of forces in Syria

    Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer stated on Radio Krym Realii that Russian warships will not significantly affect the situation in Syria. Commenting on the strengthening of the Russian military group in Syria, Felgenhauer noted that currently the Russian Fleet is struggling for an increase in military expenditures.

    “The Russian Fleet has no direct relationship to the Syrian conflict and there is nothing they can do there because Russian warships aren’t meant for such operations. …

  • Russia accuses U.S. of causing close encounter between two aircraft over Syria

    A representative from the Russian Defense Ministry accused US forces of causing a dangerously close encounter between aircraft over Syria earlier this month.

    On Friday, US officials said that a Russian plane flew dangerously close to a combat aircraft from the US-led coalition.

    According to the officials, the incident, which occurred on October 17, was not a threat. The Russian pilot just lost “control over the situation.”

    On October 29, Russian Major-General Igor Konashenkov rejected this …

  • Lavrov: Moderate Syrian opposition will be equated to terrorists

    The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, stated that there are no signs of separation of the Syrian moderate opposition from Al-Nusra Front and that is why it is time to consider the moderate opposition a valid target together with the terrorists. The Russian minister made this statement at a press conference with the heads of the Ministries of Foreign affairs of Syria and Iran.

    Lavrov recalled a public statement made by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, which he made in …

  • Kremlin declines to comment on report that U.S. and Russian aircraft had a close encounter over Syria

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on statements made by Pentagon officials that Russian and U.S. planes had a close encounter over Syria on October 17th, RIA Novosti reported.

    When asked to comment on the incident, Peskov said, “It is for my colleagues at the Ministry of Defense."

    Earlier on Friday, Lieutenant General Jeff Harrigian, the commander of U.S. Air Force Central Command, described an incident in which a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and a Russian fighter flew …

  • Lavrov: Russia will do everything necessary to support Syrian people

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem that Moscow will do everything necessary to support the Syrian people, especially in regards to countering the effects of economic sanctions imposed against Damascus by the West, TASS reported.

    "We are doing and will do whatever is necessary to support the Syrian people in this difficult moment, especially when… there are even tougher economic sanctions in Syria, which directly hit the civilian population,” Lavrov …

  • Airstrike kills 20 children in Syria's Idlib province, Russia denies involvement

    Russia has denied that it is behind an airstrike that killed at least 20 school children in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, TASS reported.

    The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the strike was carried out by Russian aircraft that targeted the village of Hass where a school is located.

    "The dead children are students and the planes are believed to be Russian," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based SOHR, as quoted by Al-Jazeera.

    According to an opposition activist …

  • Media: Russia will offer to conduct a joint operation with the U.S. in Raqqa

    Russia wants to offer US to join their efforts in the operation to retake Raqqa which is considered a Syrian capital of the so-called Islamic State, as reported by the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

    The United States has already stated its plans to block Raqqa even before Mosul is fully freed from ISIS. On October 25, the United States Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, said that the US together with the Alliance partners are preparing the operation to block Raqqa. 

    After the American …

  • U.S. surveillance aircraft fly near the Crimea and Russia's flotilla in the Mediterranean

    U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft flew along the coast of the Crimea on Wednesday, Interfax reported. A separate surveillance aircraft flew near Russia’s warships in the Mediterranean Sea, according to websites that track the movement of military aircraft.

    The first U.S. plane reportedly took off from the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily, where it proceeded to fly over the Black Sea south of the Crimean coast.

    The second aircraft also took off from Signolla, and flew over the eastern …

  • Russian war planes hit Syria's Idlib province

    The Turkish Andalu news agency reported that on October 24, Russian aircraft conducted air strikes on the areas controlled by the Syrian opposition near the towns of Khan Shaykhun and Qefr Teharim in the Syrian province of Idlib.

    According to the news agency, which cited a representative of the Syrian Civil Defense in Idlib, 8 people were killed and 80 injured as a result of the air strikes.

    Three people were reportedly killed when the local municipality building was hit in Qefr Teharim. Five …

  • Russia Deputy FM: The question of extending humanitarian pause in Aleppo is not relevant

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the question of extending the humanitarian pause in Aleppo is not relevant.

    “For us to come back to it, it is necessary that our opponents ensure the adequate behavior of the non-government military formations. The scenario that was expected during these three days didn’t happen. That  is why the question of extension of the humanitarian pause is not relevant,” Ryabkov stated, as reported by Russia's TASS news agency. 

    Last week, the …