Russia’s operation in Syria shows combat readiness – Putin

Russia’s military operation in Syria proved combat readiness and good fighting capabilities of the country’s armed forces, President Putin said at a meeting with top military officials in Sochi on Monday (November 9).

“Well-timed measures have strengthened combat readiness and the fighting capabilities of our armed forces, and the anti-terrorist operation which we are carrying out on the request of the Syrian leadership proves it in a convincing way,” Putin said.

Russia first launched air strikes to support President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s four-year civil war on Sept. 30 but has repeatedly said it has no intention of mounting a ground operation. It has instead said it will limit its help to military trainers, advisers and deliveries of military equipment.

U.S. security officials and independent experts told Reuters last week that Moscow had increased its forces in Syria to 4,000 personnel from an estimated 2,000. A U.S. defense official said multiple rocket-launcher crews and long-range artillery batteries were deployed outside four bases the Russians were using.

Russia’s air force flew 137 sorties and hit 448 targets in Syria in the last three days, Russian news agencies quoted the Defence Ministry as saying on Monday.

It said that targets were at provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, Latakia, Raqqa, Hama and Homs.