Russian military intervention and aid to Syria #4

"Since the beginning of the operation, our jets have conducted 1,631 sorties in Syria hitting a total of 2,084 terrorist targets," Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov said.

Russian military jets have destroyed 287 terrorist command centers, 155 ammunition and fuel depots, 52 terrorist training camps and 40 plants manufacturing rockets and landmines since September 30, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Andrei Kartapolov said.

Terrorists in Syria suffer heavy losses due to the Russian aviation's actions, he added.

"As a result of the actions of our aviation, we have managed to disorganize the terrorist command system and supply chain they had created during a long period of time, as well as to inflict heavy losses upon terrorists, undermine their morale and convince their sponsors that further financing of these criminals is futile."

Contacts With Syrian Opposition

The Russian Defense Ministry has established contacts with leaders and field commanders of a number of patriotic Syrian opposition groups, which prioritize the country's integrity despite being opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Kartapolov said, adding that Moscow hopes that this would help to resolve the Syrian conflict.

The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian opposition have reached an agreement on joint action against terrorists, he said.

He emphasized that "this close cooperation allows us to unite efforts of the government troops and other patriotic forces in the Syrian Arab Republic, which had been in opposition earlier, to present a united front against a common enemy — international terrorism."

"In the framework of a broader international coalition on the fight against terrorism in the Middle East, we have established contacts with leaders and field commanders of several opposition units. These patriotic groups which, despite fighting government forces for four years, hold the idea of preserving Syria as a united sovereign state, free from ISIL and other terrorists of all sorts, higher than their political ambitions. We hope that this step will become a turning point in the resolution of the Syrian conflict."

According to Kartapolov, the Russian air group deployed in Syria has already coordinated joint anti-terrorist efforts with the Syrian opposition by establishing reliable data exchange channels.

He added that the Russian Aerospace Forces had hit 24 terrorist targets, the coordinates of which had been provided by the Syrian opposition.

"Today, the Russian Federation carried out 12 sorties against 24 terrorist targets using high explosive munition and high-precision KAB-500 bombs in the areas of Tadmur, Deir ez-Zor, Itria, and eastern Aleppo. The coordinates of all these objects were provided to us by representatives of the opposition."

Russia-US Cooperation Over Syria

Moscow and Washington have started to cooperate in the skies over Syria as Russian and US aircraft have conducted a joint exercise on the actions in case of a near collision over the war-torn country. Russian and US jets have practiced a close approach to a minimally safe distance of 5.5 kilometers, he added.

"Today at 11 a.m. Moscow time, Russian and US air forces carried out joint drills on actions by crews and land personnel in cases when aircraft fly in close proximity to each other," Kartapolov said.

"During the drills in a specially designated zone, the crews of Russian and international [US-led] coalition planes maneuvered to a safe distance of 3 nautical miles from each other, established radio contacts on a designated frequency and exchanged messages on the parameters of their flights in Russian and English."

PapaDragon wrote:
UPDATED!!!

Russian Jets Destroyed Over 2,000 Terrorist Targets Since September 30

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151103/1029540546/russian-airstrikes-syria-2000-terrorist-targets.html

The Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out 1,631 sorties and destroyed 2,084 ISIL and Nusra Front targets in Syria since the start of the anti-terrorist air campaign in the country on September 30, the Russian General Staff said Tuesday.

"Since the beginning of the operation, our jets have conducted 1,631 sorties in Syria hitting a total of 2,084 terrorist targets," Col. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov said.

Russian military jets have destroyed 287 terrorist command centers, 155 ammunition and fuel depots, 52 terrorist training camps and 40 plants manufacturing rockets and landmines since September 30, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Andrei Kartapolov said.

Terrorists in Syria suffer heavy losses due to the Russian aviation's actions, he added.

"As a result of the actions of our aviation, we have managed to disorganize the terrorist command system and supply chain they had created during a long period of time, as well as to inflict heavy losses upon terrorists, undermine their morale and convince their sponsors that further financing of these criminals is futile."

Contacts With Syrian Opposition

The Russian Defense Ministry has established contacts with leaders and field commanders of a number of patriotic Syrian opposition groups, which prioritize the country's integrity despite being opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Kartapolov said, adding that Moscow hopes that this would help to resolve the Syrian conflict.

The Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian opposition have reached an agreement on joint action against terrorists, he said.

He emphasized that "this close cooperation allows us to unite efforts of the government troops and other patriotic forces in the Syrian Arab Republic, which had been in opposition earlier, to present a united front against a common enemy — international terrorism."

"In the framework of a broader international coalition on the fight against terrorism in the Middle East, we have established contacts with leaders and field commanders of several opposition units. These patriotic groups which, despite fighting government forces for four years, hold the idea of preserving Syria as a united sovereign state, free from ISIL and other terrorists of all sorts, higher than their political ambitions. We hope that this step will become a turning point in the resolution of the Syrian conflict."

According to Kartapolov, the Russian air group deployed in Syria has already coordinated joint anti-terrorist efforts with the Syrian opposition by establishing reliable data exchange channels.

He added that the Russian Aerospace Forces had hit 24 terrorist targets, the coordinates of which had been provided by the Syrian opposition.

"Today, the Russian Federation carried out 12 sorties against 24 terrorist targets using high explosive munition and high-precision KAB-500 bombs in the areas of Tadmur, Deir ez-Zor, Itria, and eastern Aleppo. The coordinates of all these objects were provided to us by representatives of the opposition."

Russia-US Cooperation Over Syria

Moscow and Washington have started to cooperate in the skies over Syria as Russian and US aircraft have conducted a joint exercise on the actions in case of a near collision over the war-torn country. Russian and US jets have practiced a close approach to a minimally safe distance of 5.5 kilometers, he added.

"Today at 11 a.m. Moscow time, Russian and US air forces carried out joint drills on actions by crews and land personnel in cases when aircraft fly in close proximity to each other," Kartapolov said.

"During the drills in a specially designated zone, the crews of Russian and international [US-led] coalition planes maneuvered to a safe distance of 3 nautical miles from each other, established radio contacts on a designated frequency and exchanged messages on the parameters of their flights in Russian and English."

JohninMK wrote:Looks like Moscow has outmanoeuvred Washington again. Still no news of the similar list asked for by Moscow.

EDIT

Or maybe not

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s, the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s lists of Syrian opposition representatives who could be invited for talks with Damascus partially coincide, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have prepared our vision," she told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. "It is not based on political speculation or political preferences. We have been working with these organizations, both in Moscow and in European capitals and in the Middle East, for four years."

"The lists partially coincide," she said, adding that the United States and Saudi Arabia had added some other organizations to their lists.

At a meeting of Russia, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on October 29, the Russian side handed over to the partners a list of 38 representatives of Syrian opposition who could be invited for talks with the current Syrian authorities.

More at http://tass.ru/en/politics/833834

Monarchist wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Looks like Moscow has outmanoeuvred Washington again. Still no news of the similar list asked for by Moscow.

EDIT

Or maybe not

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s, the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s lists of Syrian opposition representatives who could be invited for talks with Damascus partially coincide, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have prepared our vision," she told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. "It is not based on political speculation or political preferences. We have been working with these organizations, both in Moscow and in European capitals and in the Middle East, for four years."

"The lists partially coincide," she said, adding that the United States and Saudi Arabia had added some other organizations to their lists.

At a meeting of Russia, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on October 29, the Russian side handed over to the partners a list of 38 representatives of Syrian opposition who could be invited for talks with the current Syrian authorities.

More at http://tass.ru/en/politics/833834

What seriously pisses me off is when she said that for Russia it doesn't matter if Assad stays or go.
What kind of an "ally" is that?

Monarchist wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Looks like Moscow has outmanoeuvred Washington again. Still no news of the similar list asked for by Moscow.

EDIT

Or maybe not

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s, the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s lists of Syrian opposition representatives who could be invited for talks with Damascus partially coincide, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have prepared our vision," she told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. "It is not based on political speculation or political preferences. We have been working with these organizations, both in Moscow and in European capitals and in the Middle East, for four years."

"The lists partially coincide," she said, adding that the United States and Saudi Arabia had added some other organizations to their lists.

At a meeting of Russia, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on October 29, the Russian side handed over to the partners a list of 38 representatives of Syrian opposition who could be invited for talks with the current Syrian authorities.

More at http://tass.ru/en/politics/833834

What seriously pisses me off is when she said that for Russia it doesn't matter if Assad stays or go.
What kind of an "ally" is that?

ult wrote:

medo wrote:
Su-24 have 7 red star marks. What are they marking with them? Number of combat missions or targets destroyed?

ult wrote:

medo wrote:
Su-24 have 7 red star marks. What are they marking with them? Number of combat missions or targets destroyed?

I thought it was 1 star for 10 combat missions, but now I'm not so sure.

Militarov wrote:
When operations started i posted source with SU34 pic (had 1 star) that claimed stars are given for 10 missions that include actual strikes. I got downvoted and slapped coz "Russian fighters only get stars for air victories".

JohninMK wrote:I read somewhere today that two of the Su-34 had gone home and replacements are awaited. Has anyone else seen this? Do we expect to whole fleet of aircraft and crews to be gradually replaced?

Via Fortrus from Moscow today. Note what they say about the C&C operation at Latakia. I know I keep saying this but careers are being radically changed in that place.

In the course of the training, issues of warning, organization of interaction and information exchange between the staffs of the operational groups and control centres of the Russian Air Force at the Hmeymim airbase and the US Strategic Air Operations Center in Qatar as well as the mutual informing of dangerous military activities in the air space of Syria were practiced.

Crews of the aircraft of the Russian Air Force and the international coalition performed an approach at the minimum distance of 3 nautical miles, established a contact at the frequency defined beforehand and exchanged messages concerning the flight parameters of their aircraft in the English and Russian languages.

After the aircraft had returned to the bases, the control centres of the Russian Aerospace Forces at Hmeymim in Syria and the U.S. Air Force in Qatar held joint review through the established direct communication channel.

Joint work on providing flight safety is organized with Israel. A 24-hour hotline is established between the control centre at the Hmeymim airbase and the command centre of the Israeli Air Force for exchange of information concerning the air situation over Syria.

The joint work in this field will be continued. That will create conditions for prevention of possible incidents in the air space of Syria in the course of actions of aviation of the Russia and other countries.

JohninMK wrote:I read somewhere today that two of the Su-34 had gone home and replacements are awaited. Has anyone else seen this? Do we expect to whole fleet of aircraft and crews to be gradually replaced?

Via Fortrus from Moscow today. Note what they say about the C&C operation at Latakia. I know I keep saying this but careers are being radically changed in that place.

In the course of the training, issues of warning, organization of interaction and information exchange between the staffs of the operational groups and control centres of the Russian Air Force at the Hmeymim airbase and the US Strategic Air Operations Center in Qatar as well as the mutual informing of dangerous military activities in the air space of Syria were practiced.

Crews of the aircraft of the Russian Air Force and the international coalition performed an approach at the minimum distance of 3 nautical miles, established a contact at the frequency defined beforehand and exchanged messages concerning the flight parameters of their aircraft in the English and Russian languages.

After the aircraft had returned to the bases, the control centres of the Russian Aerospace Forces at Hmeymim in Syria and the U.S. Air Force in Qatar held joint review through the established direct communication channel.

Joint work on providing flight safety is organized with Israel. A 24-hour hotline is established between the control centre at the Hmeymim airbase and the command centre of the Israeli Air Force for exchange of information concerning the air situation over Syria.

The joint work in this field will be continued. That will create conditions for prevention of possible incidents in the air space of Syria in the course of actions of aviation of the Russia and other countries.

ult wrote:

Militarov wrote:
When operations started i posted source with SU34 pic (had 1 star) that claimed stars are given for 10 missions that include actual strikes. I got downvoted and slapped coz "Russian fighters only get stars for air victories".

Technically this is true. Fighters get stars for air victories. Bombers and ground attack planes are a different story however. 1 star for 10 combat missions was a practice during the WW2.

Monarchist wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Looks like Moscow has outmanoeuvred Washington again. Still no news of the similar list asked for by Moscow.

EDIT

Or maybe not

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s, the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s lists of Syrian opposition representatives who could be invited for talks with Damascus partially coincide, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have prepared our vision," she told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. "It is not based on political speculation or political preferences. We have been working with these organizations, both in Moscow and in European capitals and in the Middle East, for four years."

"The lists partially coincide," she said, adding that the United States and Saudi Arabia had added some other organizations to their lists.

At a meeting of Russia, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on October 29, the Russian side handed over to the partners a list of 38 representatives of Syrian opposition who could be invited for talks with the current Syrian authorities.

More at http://tass.ru/en/politics/833834

What seriously pisses me off is when she said that for Russia it doesn't matter if Assad stays or go.
What kind of an "ally" is that?

zorobabel wrote:

Monarchist wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Looks like Moscow has outmanoeuvred Washington again. Still no news of the similar list asked for by Moscow.

EDIT

Or maybe not

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s, the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s lists of Syrian opposition representatives who could be invited for talks with Damascus partially coincide, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have prepared our vision," she told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. "It is not based on political speculation or political preferences. We have been working with these organizations, both in Moscow and in European capitals and in the Middle East, for four years."

"The lists partially coincide," she said, adding that the United States and Saudi Arabia had added some other organizations to their lists.

At a meeting of Russia, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on October 29, the Russian side handed over to the partners a list of 38 representatives of Syrian opposition who could be invited for talks with the current Syrian authorities.

More at http://tass.ru/en/politics/833834

What seriously pisses me off is when she said that for Russia it doesn't matter if Assad stays or go.
What kind of an "ally" is that?

Isn't it pretty obvious what is happening? The Kremlin had to try, but even with heavy airstrikes, close-air support, the support of thousands of Shia militiamen and Iranians, progress has been slow. In fact, very little progress has been made outside the South Aleppo front over the last month.

zorobabel wrote:

Monarchist wrote:

JohninMK wrote:Looks like Moscow has outmanoeuvred Washington again. Still no news of the similar list asked for by Moscow.

EDIT

Or maybe not

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/. Russia’s, the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s lists of Syrian opposition representatives who could be invited for talks with Damascus partially coincide, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

"We have prepared our vision," she told the Ekho Moskvy radio station. "It is not based on political speculation or political preferences. We have been working with these organizations, both in Moscow and in European capitals and in the Middle East, for four years."

"The lists partially coincide," she said, adding that the United States and Saudi Arabia had added some other organizations to their lists.

At a meeting of Russia, US, Saudi and Turkish foreign ministers in Vienna on October 29, the Russian side handed over to the partners a list of 38 representatives of Syrian opposition who could be invited for talks with the current Syrian authorities.

More at http://tass.ru/en/politics/833834

What seriously pisses me off is when she said that for Russia it doesn't matter if Assad stays or go.
What kind of an "ally" is that?

Isn't it pretty obvious what is happening? The Kremlin had to try, but even with heavy airstrikes, close-air support, the support of thousands of Shia militiamen and Iranians, progress has been slow. In fact, very little progress has been made outside the South Aleppo front over the last month.