September–October 2015 The first series of
air strikes took place on 30 September 2015 around the cities of
Homs and
Hama, targeting
Syrian opposition forces. Most of the initial airstrikes targeted positions of the
Chechen fighters,
Islamic Front's
Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam), and
Free Syrian Army.
Ali Abdullah Ayoub,
military chief of
Ba'athist Syrian armed forces, portrayed Russian airstrikes as part of military operations against "terrorists", a term used in Ba'athist state propaganda to refer to all armed opposition groups. While Russian officials falsely claimed that the strikes were solely directed against IS bases, the location of bombings were in
Homs and
Hama provinces controlled by opposition militias fighting IS. Syrian civil society activists asserted that none of the strikes were against IS, but solely the rebel-held civilian areas, killing 36 civilians, including many children.
US Secretary of State John Kerry denounced the targeting of opposition areas during a session with the
UN Security Council.
Defence Secretary Ash Carter denounced Russian attacks on opposition-held territories as "doomed to fail."
Violations Documentation Centre (VCD) reported that more than 43 civilians, including nine children and seven women, were killed in Russian airstrikes in the central Homs region on September 30, the first day of Russian aerial bombings. VCD also documented the usage of two vacuum bombs and stated that the Russian warplanes mostly bombed civilian areas in villages and towns, including residential buildings and food distribution centres. According to
Hezbollah media outlet
Al Mayadeen, the Saudi/Turkish-backed
Army of Conquest around Jisr ash-Shugour was bombed on 1 October by Russian planes; at least 30 airstrikes were carried out. Al-Mayadeen outlet also claimed that on same day, another series of Russian airstrikes targeted the
Tabqa airbase, which was under the control of the
Islamic State organization in the Raqqa region. On 3 October, reports indicated that Hezbollah and Iranian fighters were preparing major ground offensives to be coordinated with Russian airstrikes. According to CNN, the Russian defense ministry said its soldiers bombed nine ISIL positions near the group's
de facto capital in Raqqa. At least 11 were killed in a double strike by Russia in Syria's Idlib province, according to opposition groups. On the morning of 7 October 2015, according to Russian officials, four warships from the
Russian Navy's
Caspian Flotilla launched 26
3M-14T cruise missiles from Kalibr-NK systems that hit 11 targets within Syrian territory. The missiles passed through Iranian and Iraqi airspace in order to reach their targets at a distance of well over about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles). The same day, Syrian ground forces were reported to carry out an offensive under Russian air cover. According to
CNN citing unnamed United States military and intelligence officials, 4 of 26 cruise missiles on 8 October crashed in Iran, well before reaching their targets in Syria. Russia said all of its missiles hit their targets. Iran also denied any missiles had crashed on its territory. The Iranian defence ministry dismissed the CNN reports as Western "psychological warfare". The Russian defense ministry announced on 9 October that up to sixty ISIL targets were hit in the previous 24 hours, killing 300 militants in the most intense strikes so far. One raid targeted a
Liwa al-Haqq base in the
Raqqa Governorate using
KAB-500KR precision-guided bombs, in which reportedly two senior ISIL commanders and up to 200 militants were killed, despite the lack of any connection between al-Haqq and ISIL. Another destroyed a former prison near Aleppo used by ISIL as a base and munitions depot, killing scores of militants. Rebel training sites in the Latakia and Idlib provinces were reportedly hit as well. Meanwhile, ISIL militants made advances in the Aleppo area on 9 October, seizing several villages in what the
Associated Press called a "lightning attack". The attacks were unencumbered by either Russian or United States-led coalition airstrikes. The ISIL advance came at the expense of rebel groups also targeted by Russian and Syrian forces. In mid-October 2015, a joint
Russian-Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah offensive targeting rebels in Aleppo went ahead. According to pro-opposition citizen journalist group
Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, Russia lied about targeting ISIL in the early airstrikes and missiles around Raqqa. Between 17 September and 13 October they counted 36 Russian strikes against only 2 ISIL targets (with 4 ISIL deaths) and 22 civilian targets (with 70 civilian deaths plus injuries) included hospitals, a fire hall, at least one school and a highway fueling station.
November 2015 On 17 November 2015, in the wake of the
Russian jet crash over Sinai and the
Paris attacks, according to the Russian defence minister's public report to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin, Russia employed the Russia-based
Tu-160,
Tu-95MSM, and
Tu-22M3 long-range
strategic bombers firing
air-launched cruise missiles to hit what he said were the IS targets in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor as well as targets in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. The Russian minister of defence said that, pursuant to Putin's orders, the Russian aviation group - which, at the time, comprised more than 50 aircraft - begun further intensifying their campaign. In addition, Putin said he had issued orders for the
cruiser Moskva that had been in the eastern Mediterranean since the start of the Russian operations to "work as with an ally", with the French naval group led by flagship that had been on its way to the eastern Mediterranean since early November. The following day, according to the Russian Defence ministry, strikes by long-range bombers firing cruise missiles in the same areas in Syria continued. The mass cruise missile strikes carried out against ISIS in Deir Ezzor province on 20 November resulted in the death of more than 600 militants according to the ministry. A Russian
Sukhoi Su-24 strike aircraft was
shot down by a Turkish Air Force F-16 on 24 November 2015. The pilot was shot and killed by Syrian rebels while descending by parachute, and the weapon systems officer was later rescued by Russian forces. A Russian marine was injured during the rescue operation and later died en route to a medical center. In the video the rebels shout "
Allah Akbar" over the dead body of a Russian pilot. According to Turkey's statements presented to the UN Security Council, two planes, whose nationalities were unknown to them at the time, violated Turkish airspace over the
Yayladağı province up to for 17 seconds. According to Turkey, the planes disregarded multiple warnings and were subsequently fired upon by Turkish F-16s patrolling the area. After the Turkish fire, one plane left Turkish airspace and the other crashed into Syrian territory. providing two maps showing two different stated routes (one including turns and maneuvers described as "impossible"). Before the incident, Russian military jets had repeatedly violated Turkish airspace, causing political tension. A month before the shootdown, on 17 October, the Turkish prime minister warned that Turkey would not hesitate to shoot down airplanes violating its airspace. Russia responded by announcing the deployment of additional air defense weapons in the area and would provide its bombers with fighter jet escorts. On 26 November 2015, deployment of
S-300 and
S-400 anti-aircraft systems was reported by Russia's official news media, to Latakia and on board the cruiser
Moskva. At around the same time, Russia announced that it was preparing for more jet fighters and a new Russian combat brigade to be stationed at
Shayrat Airbase in Homs once in service for aiding the Syrian government troops in their ongoing
offensive against ISIL. On 29 November 2015, Russian aircraft were reported to have struck targets in the Syrian Idlib province, including the town of
Ariha that had been
captured by the
Army of Conquest 6 months prior, causing multiple casualties on the ground. Other targets hit included the
Turkistan Islamic Party's office in
Jisr al-Shughur and a relief office of
Ahrar ash-Sham group in the town of
Saraqib.
December 2015 – February 2016 close-range defense system and two launch vehicles for
S-400 long-distance flight missiles at Latakia. On 1 December 2015,
The Times, citing local sources and news media, reported that Russia was preparing to expand its military operations in Syria by opening the
al-Shayrat airbase near the city of Homs, already home to Russian attack helicopters and a team that had arrived about a month prior. On 8 December, the Russian defence minister announced that a
Kilo-class submarine,
Rostov-on-Don, had launched
3M14K cruise missiles while submerged, against ISIL targets in
Raqqa Governorate, the first such strike from the Mediterranean Sea. He also reported to the president that pursuant to Putin's order, since 5 December the Russian military had intensified airstrikes in Syria: it was reported that over the three days, Russian aircraft, including Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, had performed over 300 sorties engaging over 600 targets of different type. On 11 December, in a televised meeting at the Defence ministry Vladimir Putin ordered the military in Syria to "act as tough as possible. Any target that poses a threat to Russian military grouping or ground infrastructure has to be destroyed immediately." He also appeared to suggest that the Russian military was now supporting the anti-government
Free Syrian Army forces; however, the
Kremlin spokesman later said that Russia was only supplying weapons to "the legitimate authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic". On 16 December, Russia's Defence minister
Sergey Shoigu speaking to the members of the
State Duma behind closed doors, mentioned a possible option of the Russian forces "reaching the
Euphrates" in Syria. On 19 December, Putin commended the performance of the Russian armed forces in Syria; he said that "so far not all of our capabilities have been used" and that "more military means" might be employed there "if deemed necessary". On 21 December, the longest
offensive of the year since Russian forces got involved yielded important gains. According to pro-government sources and social media accounts, these included the recapture of the strategic Khanasser–Ithriya Highway from ISIL and capture of the main rebel strongholds of Al-Hader and
Khan Tuman, cutting the Aleppo–Damascus highway and leaving them in control of three-quarters of the southern Aleppo countryside. On 25 December 2015, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Lt. Gen.
Sergey Rudskoy said that since 30 September 2015 Russian air force had conducted 5,240 sorties in Syria, including 145 sorties by long-range aviation. On 27 December 2015, Chief Commander of the Russian Aerospace Force Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev stated that Russian pilots had not once attacked civilian targets in Syria. On 30 December 2015, heavy fighting was reported as the Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes advanced into the southern city of
Al-Shaykh Maskin, and concluded by the end of January 2016 was said to be their first major assault in southern Syria since Russia joined the fight. In early January 2016, regional diplomats who had assumed Moscow had an understanding with Jordan and Israel not to extend into their sphere of influence were reported to be surprised by the growing Russian role in Syria's south; so were rebels from Syria's Southern Front alliance whose forces were directly supplied by the Military Operations Command, an operations room staffed by Arab and Western military forces, including the US. On 9 January 2016, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russian air strikes in the northwestern town of
Maarrat al-Nu'man had killed about 60 persons, including 23 members of the
Nusra Front. In January 2016, the cruiser
Varyag was deployed off Syria's shore replacing
sister ship and was named
flagship of the
Russian naval task force positioned in the eastern Mediterranean. On 14 January 2016, the Russian defence ministry said that the first joint bombing mission had been performed by Russian air force Su-25 fighters and Syrian air force
MiG-29 aircraft. Russia's role was said to be essential in the government's capture, on 24 January 2016, of the town of
Rabia, the last major town held by rebels in western Latakia province. The capture of Rabia, part of the government's
Latakia offensive, was said to threaten rebel supply lines from Turkey. At the end of January 2016, Russia, for the first time, deployed four
Su-35S fighter jets, presumably equipped with the
Khibiny electronic countermeasures (ECM) systems, A Russian military adviser died in a Syrian hospital on 1 February after suffering severe wounds when a Syrian army training center in Homs Province was shelled. Speaking shortly after the formal start of the UN-mediated
Geneva Syria peace talks on 1 February, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not stop its air strikes until Russia truly defeated "such terrorist organisations as Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIL″. In early February 2016, intensive Russian strikes contributed to the success of the Syrian army and its allies'
offensive operation to the northwest of Aleppo that severed a major rebel supply line to Turkey.
March 2016 – mid-October 2016 On 1 March 2016, Russian foreign minister
Sergey Lavrov said that the truce, formally referred to as a "
cessation of hostilities", that had been in effect from 27 February 2016 at 00:00 (Damascus time), was largely holding and becoming more stable. According to the state–run
RIA Novosti's report of 1 March 2016, all the planes at the Russian Khmeimim base had been grounded for four days. On 1 March, the Russian defense ministry said it had deployed to the Khmeimim base additional radars and drones: three sets of surveillance equipment which included drones and two radar stations. On 14 March 2016, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that the mission which he had set for the Russian military in Syria was "on the whole accomplished" and ordered withdrawal of the "main part" of the Russian forces from Syria. The move was announced on the day when
peace talks on Syria resumed in Geneva. The Russian leader, however, did not give a deadline for the completion of the withdrawal. operations in areas captured by Syrian government forces during the
March 2016 Palmyra offensive against
IS. (Photo released by
Russian Defence Ministry) In mid-March 2016, intensive operations by the Russian forces resumed to support the Syrian government's
bid to recapture the city of
Tadmur that includes the
UNESCO World Heritage Site of
Palmyra, which were fully recaptured from ISIS on 27 March. Following the recapture of the city, Russian de-mining teams engaged in the clearing of mines planted by ISIS in the ancient site of Palmyra. In early May 2016, news media reported that Russian ground forces had set up what
Jane's Information Group called a ″forward operating base″ (officially a base for the mining crews) just to the west of the city of Tadmur, and installed an air-defence system to protect the site. In mid-May 2016,
Stratfor reported that a Russian air base was attacked and four Russian attack helicopters, 20 supply trucks and one Syrian Mig-25 were destroyed. However, United States media cited intelligence community sources as believing the destruction was caused by an accidental fuel tank explosion, that the Stratfor analysis was wrong and that there were no indications of an ISIS attack on the airport. in northern Aleppo in June 2016. On 8 July 2016, a Syrian
Mi-25 (a Russian
Mi-35, according to other unofficial military sources) was destroyed on the ground from a United States-made
BGM-71 TOW east of Palmyra, with two Russian pilots confirmed dead. On 1 August 2016, a Russian
Mi-8AMTSh transport helicopter was shot down on its way back to the Khmeimim base from a humanitarian mission to Aleppo by ground fire over
Jabhat Fateh al-Sham-controlled area in Idlib province. Three crew members and two officers from the
Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria were killed in the crush, then their corpses were desecrated by the rebels arrived on the scene. On 16 August 2016, Russian Tu-22M bombers and Su-34 strike fighters began to use Iran's
Hamedan Airbase for conducting raids over Syria. For a period of time, from late June until the end of the
Summer Aleppo campaign on 11 September, Russian Aerospace Forces and the
Russian naval infantry advisors were heavily involved in the various battles against the rebels and their allies throughout the campaign, according to pro-Assad sources. Russia's air force took active part in the Syrian government's
re-newed Aleppo offensive that began in late September 2016, one of the consequences being the U.S. government in early October suspending talks on Syria with Russia. The Russian tactics and weapons used in the offensive have been compared to those used
in Grozny against Chechen separatists. The U.S. government publicly stated that Russia was committing ″flagrant violations of international law″ in Syria and urged investigation of war crimes.
Mid-October 2016 – December 2016 On 15 October 2016, the
aircraft carrier sailed from
Kola Bay at the centre of a
task group, which included the
Kirov-class missile cruiser , a pair of s and other vessels, to deploy to the Mediterranean in support of Russian forces operating in Syria.
Vzglyad, a media outlet loyal to the Kremlin, reported that the Russian government said there was a three-week partial hiatus in Russian airstrikes raids from 18 October.
Admiral Kuznetsovs jets were reported to be flying off the Syrian coast on 8 November. On 14 November, a MiG-29K crashed en route back to the carrier following a planned mission over Syria, while an Su-33 crashed, again while trying to recover to
Admiral Kuznetsov following a sortie on 5 December. Other ships as well as
K-300P Bastion-P were also reported to have taken part in a renewed bombing campaign on 17 November. In late November, satellite images emerged showing several of
Admiral Kuznetsovs fixed wing aircraft operating from
Hmeimim Air Base in
Latakia, with suggestions made that the number of
sorties flown from the carrier was lower than had been claimed by the Russian
Ministry of Defence. Problems with the ship's
arrestor cables were cited as contributing to the crashed MiG-29K, which was circling the ship when it suffered an engine failure. At around the same time, an image was released by the
Dutch frigate showing the
Mirazh being towed back to the
Black Sea. By mid-December 2016 the Syrian government, with the help of its allies including
Russia,
re-established control of Aleppo.
January 2017 – June 2017 On 1 January 2017, Russian and Turkish warplanes conducted joint airstrikes against ISIL as part of the
Battle of al-Bab. On 6 January, the Russian Defense Ministry, with a reference to a Moscow/Ankara-brokered ceasefire effective 30 December 2016, announced the start of a drawdown of its forces from Syria, pursuant to a decision taken by President Putin. The first element scheduled to depart the region was announced to be the
Admiral Kuznetsov battle group. However, five days afterwards, a
Fox News report cited ″two U.S. officials″ as saying that additional attack aircraft had been deployed by Russia to its airbase in Syria, namely four Su-25 jets which arrived on 9 January. On 13 January, the
Syrian Arab Army launched an offensive against
ISIL in the Eastern
Homs Governorate, intending to recapture
Palmyra and its surrounding countryside. ISIL forces had
retaken the city in a sudden counterattack. On 2 March 2017, the city of Palmyra was captured. On 5 March, a new
offensive was launched which captured more than 230 square miles of territory around the city in a bid to expand the buffer zone around Palmyra. On 20 March, it was reported that Russia set up a training base in
Afrin Canton to train
YPG units in order to combat terrorism. There were conflicting reports about its location, with
Reuters reporting it was in
Jandairis and the pro-government
Al Masdar News placing it in the village of
Kafr Jannah. At various times, Afrin was the target of artillery shelling by
Islamist rebel groups as well as by
Turkey. In response, Russian troops reportedly stationed themselves in Afrin as part of an agreement to protect the YPG from further Turkish attacks. Russia scaled back its airstrikes in Syria in January and February, so that for the first time casualties due to US-led coalition airstrikes in Syria and Iraq began to exceed casualties of Russian strikes in Syria. However, strikes increased in March 2017, with a reported 114 incidents with 165–292 reported non-combatant deaths, primarily in Idlib province, Hama and the Damascus eastern suburbs. In response to the
downing of a Syrian government Su-22 plane by a U.S. fighter jet near the town of
Tabqa in Raqqa province on 18 June 2017, Russia announced that U.S.-led coalition warplanes flying west of the Euphrates would be tracked by Russian anti-aircraft forces in the sky and on the ground and treated as targets. Furthermore, the Russian military said they suspended the hotline with their U.S. counterparts based in
Al Udeid. In the wake of the announcement, Australia suspended military flights in Syria, while media reports speculated that the U.S. might be edging towards a full-on confrontation with Russia and Iran in Syria. Nevertheless, on 27 June 2017, U.S. Secretary of Defense
Jim Mattis reassured the press: ″We deconflict with the Russians; it is a very active
deconfliction line. It is on several levels, from the
chairman of the
Joint Chiefs and the secretary of state with their counterparts in Moscow,
General Gerasimov and Minister Lavrov. Then we've got a
three-star deconfliction line that is out of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, out of the J5 there. Then we have battlefield deconfliction lines. One of them is three-star again, from our field commander in Baghdad, and one of them is from our
CAOC, our Combined Air Operations Center, for real-time deconfliction.″
July 2017 – December 2017 On 24 July, the Russian military announced that Russia had begun to deploy
military police to Syria to monitor a cease-fire in two new safe (de-escalation) zones that had been envisaged in the plan on four safe zones, tentatively agreed upon by Russia, Iran, and Turkey in May, and mapped out in early July by Russia, the U.S, and Jordan. Checkpoints and monitoring posts around safe zones in southwest Syria and in Eastern Ghouta were said to have been set up. Another such deployment was effected in early August — north of the city of Homs. In August 2017, the Russian military announced that
Al-Sukhnah town was captured from ISIS in early August with support of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Russian aviation said they had conducted 28,000 combat missions, and about 90,000 strikes as of late August 2017 during the operation in Syria. On 5 September 2017, the Russian defence ministry said that the breaking of the three-year
siege of Deir ez-Zor had been effected with active participation of Russian aviation and navy. President Putin congratulated both President Bashar Assad and the Russian commanders on "a very important strategic victory" (in his spokesman's words). Humanitarian aid was delivered to pro-government inhabitants of the city by the Russian servicemen. The Russian aviation continued active support of the Syrian forces operating in Deir ez-Zor. The Russian military on 12 September said that 85 per cent of Syria's territory had been ″liberated from illegal armed formations″ and the operation would continue. On 16 September, the U.S.-led coalition officials said Russian warplanes had bombed U.S.-backed militants in Deir ez-Zor, U.S. Special Operations Forces advising the SDF being "at most a couple of miles" away from where the bomb struck; the statement was denied by the Russian defence ministry. According to the Russian defence ministry, the military police platoon (29 servicemen) deployed as part of the de-escalation observation forces in the
Idlib de-escalation zone was on 19 September encircled by rebels, including Jabhat al-Nusra, as a result of their
offensive against the Syrian troops positioned north and northeast of Hama. The encirclement was breached by Russian forces in a special operation leaving three servicemen of the Russian Special Operations Forces wounded. The Russian ministry stated that according to their intelligence, the rebels' ″offensive was initiated by the US special agencies in order to stop successful advance of the Syrian Arab Army to the east from Deir ez-Zor″. The Russian ministry's statement on the U.S.' role in the rebels' offensive was the following day endorsed by president Vladimir Putin's
spokesman. On 21 September, the Russian MoD, in connection with what it called the U.S.-supported SDF having twice attacked positions of the Syrian Army in the Deir ez-Zor governorate with mortar and rocket fire, said: "Russia unequivocally told the commanders of U.S. forces in
Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar) that it will not tolerate any shelling from the areas where the SDF are stationed. Fire from positions in regions [controlled by the SDF] will be suppressed by all means necessary." In early October, the Russian MoD continued to state that the U.S. forces were disguisedly supporting of the ISIL's attacks on Syrian government forces, especially from the area at
Al-Tanf, and stated: "If the United States views such operations as unforeseen 'coincidences,' then the Russian air force in Syria is prepared to begin the complete destruction of all such 'coincidences' in the zones under their control." The MoD statement of 6 October referred to ″unlawful establishment by the U.S. of [Al-Tanf] military base″ and called it ″a 100-kilometre black hole" on the Syria-Jordan border. On 11 December, days after declaring Syria had been "completely liberated" from ISIL and with the
campaign liberating the western bank of the Euphrates in its final days, Russian president
Vladimir Putin visited the Russian base in Syria, where he announced that he had ordered the partial withdrawal of the forces deployed to Syria. Several hours later, Sergei Shoigu said the troops had already begun to return. On 26 December, defence minister Sergey Shoigu said that Russia had set about ″forming a permanent grouping" at the Tartus naval facility and the Hmeymim airbase, after president Putin approved the structure and the personnel strength of the Tartus and Hmeymim bases. On the same day, the upper chamber of parliament approved the ratification of an agreement between Russia and Syria on expanding the Tartus naval facility, which envisages turning it into a full-fledged naval base. At the end of December 2017,
Sergei Shoigu claimed that the Russian military had eliminated several thousand "terrorists", while 48,000 Russian armed forces members had "gained combat experience" during the Russian operation in Syria.
January 2018 – August 2018 In January—February 2018, the Russian air force continued to provide combat support to the Syrian Army in its
offensive operations in the
Hama Governorate and the
Idlib Governorate. The Russian forces stationed in Syria
lost a
Su-25SM in the
Idlib province on 3 February 2018. Following reports about multiple Russian private contractor casualties in the
U.S. air and artillery strike on pro-government forces near the town of
Khasham in the
Deir ez-Zor Governorate that occurred on 7 February 2018, the contingent of regular Russian forces stationed in Syria appeared to have been reinforced, though numerous witnesses of the strike dismissed the reports as untrue and did not confirm Russian mercenary participation. Namely, in mid-February, several Russian newest
fifth generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter aircraft were deployed to the
Khmeimim air base in Syria; the deployment was interpreted by commentators as a possible response to the deployment of U.S. fifth-generation
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which took part in the 7 February strike. In June and July 2018, Russian forces actively supported the Syrian Army in the successful execution of the
Southern Syria offensive, which resulted in the Syrian government's complete control of
Daraa and
Quneitra provinces. In August, Russia began to set up observation posts in Quneitra, along the UN-patrolled
demilitarised zone in the
Golan Heights; plans for eight such Russian-manned posts were announced. By mid-August, four such
military police-manned posts along the
Bravo line were set up. At the end of August, the Russian media reported Russia was building up the largest ever naval grouping in eastern Mediterranean that included the
cruiser Marshal Ustinov and all the three frigates in service, including the latest
Admiral Makarov. Speaking after talks with the Saudi Arabian foreign minister
Adel al-Jubeir in Moscow on 29 August, Russia's foreign minister, in a reference to the Idlib rebel-held enclave, said, "[T]his festering abscess needs to be liquidated.″ Additionally, the
Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. published ambassador
Anatoly Antonov's warning to the U.S. against ″yet another unprovoked and illegal aggression against Syria" on the pretext of a staged chemical attack. On 30 August, the Russian MoD said it would conduct large-scale drills in eastern Mediterranean that would involve 25 ships and 30 planes. The drills would take place from 1 September until 8 September and the area would be closed for other countries' vessels and aircraft. The announcement was made amidst reports of the impending Syrian government's offensive in the Idlib province and anticipated military reaction on the part of the U.S.
September 2018 – March 2019 On 17 September 2018, during
multiple missile strikes by Israeli F-16 jets at targets in western Syria, Russia's
Il-20 ELINT reconnaissance plane returning to
Khmeimim Air Base, with 15 Russian servicemen on board, was inadvertently downed by a Syrian
S-200 surface-to-air missile. Russia's defence minister the following day blamed Israel's military for the accident and re-affirmed its stance in a minute-by-minute report presented on 23 September. Early on 20 September, Russia's government-run news agency reported Russia had announced multiple areas of eastern Mediterranean ″near Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus" shut for air and sea traffic until 26 September, due to the Russian Navy's drills in the area. Following the shoot down incident, Shoigu on 24 September said that within two weeks, the Syrian army would receive
S-300 air-defense missile systems to strengthen Syria's combat air defence capabilities; a series of other military measures were announced such as radio-electronic jamming of "satellite navigation, onboard radars and communications systems used by military aircraft attacking targets in Syrian territory", in the areas of the Mediterranean off the Syrian coast. On 8 November, according to the
Russian MOD, Russian special forces stationed at the
Russian Reconciliation Center either directly participated or guided the Syrian Arab Army in a successful special operation which rescued all the 19 remaining hostages alive, held by ISIL north-east of
Palmyra. Some reports stated the possibility of Russian special forces being covertly deployed in the province of al-Suwayda to support the Syrian Army advance on ISIS positions in the al-Safa area for the
remainder of the offensive. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 68,000 Russian army servicemen had so far taken part in the Syrian intervention by 3 January 2019. On 8 January 2019, Russian military units began patrolling areas in and around the vicinity of
Manbij, including
Arima. On 13 March 2019, the Russian defence ministry said its jets had bombed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's targets in the
city of Idlib, the operation having been cleared with Turkey. According to mass media reports, a displacement camp, as well as a prison were hit.
April 2019 – September 2019 Fighting intensified in Idlib and nearby areas at the end of April 2019, Syrian and Russian forces striking the rebel targets. On 13 June, the Russian military said fighting in the Idlib de-escalation zone had subsided as a result of a ceasefire agreement reached on Russia's initiative that came into force the day prior. By 10 July 2019, the government offensive in Idlib was judged to have reached a standstill, Russia's ties with Turkey cited as the main brake on any full-scale attempt to take the entire northwest. On 18 July, rebel commanders were cited by
Reuters as saying that Russia had sent special forces to fight alongside Syrian army troops in northwestern Syria; Russia's defense ministry said these were false allegations. On 29 August, the warplanes of Assad regime and Russia killed seven civilians in attacks in northwestern Syria. The region had been under cease-fire. Officially, the campaign ended the next day on 30 August after a ceasefire was agreed upon by both the Syrian Arab Army and the rebels that would take effect on 31 August. Some skirmishes have taken place since September as fighting is still reported. Overall, it was a major advance in the
Idlib deescalation zone for the Syrian Army after the complete liberation of Southern
Idlib Governorate.
October 2019 On 13 October 2019, Russian ground forces, along with the Syrian army entered and took the
SDF-held areas on northeastern Syria following an agreement reached between the SDF and the Syrian government, shortly after
Turkey commenced its
cross-border incursion into the
Kurdish-dominated region and the
U.S. troops withdrew from the area. Russia's military police units began patrolling the town of
Manbij.
November 2019 – September 2020 in Damascus, 7 January 2020 On 2 November 2019, Russian aviation struck a concentration of militants in the area of
Jisr al-Shughur in the
Idlib province. The massive bombing came two days after Bashar al-Assad issued an ultimatum to the militants in the area demanding that they leave or surrender. On 24 November 2019, the Syrian Arab Army, supported by Russian airstrikes, launched "phase one" of the offensive against the rebels' stronghold in the Idlib province, which was officially announced on 19 December following the collapse of ceasefire agreements. The Russian-supported Syrian government offensive successfully continued into 2020, achieving, among other objectives, the
establishment of full government control of the area along the entire
M5 highway for first time since 2012. Meanwhile, relations between Russia and Turkey, which was sending heavy armour and thousands of its regular troops to fight on the side of the rebels in a bid to stem the government offensive, strained significantly and direct Russian strikes on regular Turkish forces were reported, Turkey's president Erdogan announcing an imminent Turkish intervention in the area. On 20 February, Turkish defence minister
Hulusi Akar told the news media there should be "no doubt" that Turkey would activate the S-400 missile systems it had bought from Russia in 2019. On 27 February 2020, according to reports from the scene, two Russian
Su-34s
conducted an airstrike on a Turkish military convoy killing at least 34 Turkish regular troops. Turkey did not officially blame Russia for the airstrike while Russia denied responsibility saying that the
Syrian Air Force was likely behind the strike. According to Russia's defence ministry, Turkish service people "were in the battle formations of terrorist groups" when they came under the fire of Syrian troops. On 2 March, according to
Saily Sabah and
TASS, Russian military announced that Russia's
Military Police forces had been deployed to
Saraqib following weeks of heavy fighting for control of this strategic town that saw it change hands several times; the declared objective was to secure safe passage of vehicles and civilians travelling along the M4 and M5 highways. On 15 March, Russian and Turkish forces started joint-patrols on the M4 highway as a part of a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Turkey. According to Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Russian military forces will patrol the southern side while Turkey's military will patrol to the north of the highway. On 18 August, a Russian major general was killed and two servicemen were injured by a roadside bomb in Syria while en route to Hmeimim Air Base from Deir ez-Zor. In mid-September, Russian news media published officially unverified reports about "most powerful strikes" carried out on 15 September by Russian aviation as well as
Iskander missiles against "terrorists", including
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, near the town of
Maarrat Misrin.
Since October 2020 and
SU-35 jets drop flares in the flight path of a U.S.
MQ-9 Reaper over Syria, 6 July 2023 On 26 October 2020, the
Russian airstrike on a training base run by
Faylaq al-Sham, a major rebel group backed by Turkey, in the town of
Kafr Takharim was reported to have killed at least 78 Turkish-backed militia fighters. On 19 April 2021, Russian warplanes executed airstrikes on militant facilities in central Syria, northeast the city of
Palmyra according to the
Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that some 200 militants along with 24 vehicles with weapons and 500 kilograms of ammunitions and explosives were destroyed in the operation without specifying the affiliation of the militants. The
SOHR confirmed the airstrikes but stated that only 26 ISIS militants were killed in the region. In May 2021, Russia said that three Tu-22Ms became the first bombers deployed to the Khmeymim airbase in Syria with the aim of enhancing the stability in the region. On 17 May 2022, a Russian operated
S-300 missile system is said to have fired a missile at a F-16 operated by the IAF. If confirmed it would be the first time Russian forces have fired on Israeli jets. It is also possible Russian forces have handed the missile system over to Syrian forces. In late May 2022, amid growing concerns of a new Turkish military incursion into northern Syria, Russia sent military reinforcements to
Qamishli Airport. On 10 June 2022, Russia had conducted joint military exercises with the Syrian Army south of Idlib. Russia had also dispatched an additional eight military helicopters to
Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase, south of Aleppo. During the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia was reported to be withdrawing (since May) its troops from Syria as reinforcements to its dwindling forces in Ukraine; according to Moscow Times (16 September 2022), the re-deployment of Russia's last reserves in Syria is under way. During the year of 2022, the SOHR reported that at least 3,935 airstrikes were conducted by Russian forces in 2022 and that 159 ISIS militants were killed and another 255 were injured by Russian airstrikes on Islamic State positions throughout the country. As of summer 2023, Russia had 20 military bases in Syria as well as 85 other military points, the majority in Hama, Al-Hasakah, Latakia and Aleppo provinces. In March 2023, President Assad told Russian media that "increasing the number of Russian military bases in Syrian territory might be necessary in the future because Russia's presence in Syria is linked to the global balance of power."
2024 Syrian opposition offensive As of 2024, the Russian operational group in Syria consisted of special forces units, base security units, and part of an Air Force unit, maintained on a rotational basis. During the
Northwestern Syrian offensive in 2024, the Russian Air Force renewed operations - conducting a number of airstrikes since the militants launched their offensive against Assad's forces in late November. The airstrikes were however limited and instead bombed civilian targets in the Idlib and Hama regions, specifically urban neighborhoods and refugee camps, including
Morek,
Khan Sheikhoun,
Kanfranbel,
Hazarin and Tal Kawkabah. At
least 50 people are reported to have been killed by the airstrikes. On November 29 rebel forces had
entered Aleppo. The day after several more settlements were seized, with the rebels entering
Hama and
Homs. On 7 December 2024, the outskirts of
Damascus were reached by rebel forces. Following Damascus's seizure, Russia confirmed that Assad had left Syria and had stepped down. This was followed by an announcement by the Syrian army command to officers that the
Assad regime had ended. Following the rapid disintegration of Syrian republic forces and the swift advance by the Syrian opposition forces, Russian airstrikes increased, but they were unable to stop any of the offensives. On 30 November, the
Deir ez-Zor offensive conducted by opposition forces managed to consolidate a hold in the industrial zones of the city of
Deir ez-Zor. Russian forces on the ground operating in the area were thus forced to coordinate a withdrawal of military equipment and personnel from multiple headquarters of the city, relocating these assets on the eastern bank of the
Euphrates before pulling out all together the following day. On 1 December 2024,
Russia conducted an airstrike on the
University of Aleppo in
Aleppo,
Syria, killing 12 people and injuring 23 others. Two journalists were killed by the airstrike.
Fall of the Assad regime torn down by Russian soldiers, 18 December 2024 Russian intervention ceased on 6 December after an airstrike failed to sever the key Homs-Hama 'Al-Rastan' bridge (merely damaging it) - opposition forces thus
captured Homs with ease. Following this, Russia was unable to help Assad's forces any further, and their forces began evacuating its military fleet from bases in western Syria. The two Russian bases in Syria had also been cut off creating a tense standoff - the airbase at Hmeimim airbase, and also the naval facility at Tartous. Russia vowed swift responses if these two were attacked, but Syrian opposition leaders have guaranteed the safety of the Russian bases as well as the diplomatic missions which have remained inside Syria. On 14 December 2024, Russian forces were withdrawing some of its forces from northern Syria and posts in the Alawite Mountains. They left in a convoy, heading towards the naval base at Tartous. In addition several large transport aircraft had arrived at Khmeimim air base, whilst helicopters and air defences were being disassembled. According to Syrian officials, Russia was not however pulling out of the bases and currently had no intention of doing so. On 24 January 2025, Syria terminated the investment agreement that granted Russia the operation of Tartous for 49 years. This meant that Russia would have to withdraw from the naval port at some point. == Assessments of tactics and effectiveness ==