Any targets threatening Russian forces in Syria must be immediately destroyed - Putin

[superbeets]

Jihadists in Syria pose a direct threat to Russia, Putin has told a defense meeting in Moscow, adding that any targets threatening the country's military there should be destroyed. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Islamic State’s influence in Syria continues to expand.




The Russian military’s actions in Syria are being coordinated with Russian special services such as the FSB, who are disclosing terrorist cells, including Islamic State, Putin said.




All forces threatening Russian servicemen in Syria should be destroyed, according to the Russian president.


"Any targets threatening our [military] group or land infrastructure must be immediately destroyed," Putin said, speaking at a Defense Ministry event.

 

[superbeets]

Putin said more 5,000 members of the Free Syrian Army are operating on the terrorists’ side.

 

[superbeets]

‘ISIS influence expanding in Syria’ - Russian Def Min

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu added that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) controls about 70 percent of Syria’s territory,

adding that in Syria and Iraq there are about 60,000 militants.

"The Islamic State area of influence is expanding," he said, “There is a threat that their actions will be transferred to Central Asia and the Caucasus.”

 

[superbeets]

To date the Russian military has carried out about 4,000 sorties, striking around 8,000 terrorist facilities in Syria, he added.

 

[superbeets]

Drones have proved a necessary part of the military operation against the terrorists, according to Shoigu. He said that Moscow has an about 1,720 drones at its disposal.

 

[superbeets]

Both Putin and Shoigu took part in the Defense Ministry board meeting, which apart from the Syrian operation touched upon such issues as nuclear strategy, NATO expansion and Arctic military bases.

"Special attention should be paid to strengthening the combat potential of the strategic nuclear forces and implementing defense space programs," Putin said during the meeting.



Russia needs to "arm all the components of the nuclear triad with new armaments, raise the efficiency of the missile attack warning and aerospace defense systems,” the Russian president said.

 

[Willie99]

 

[Ricboff]

Both Putin and Shoigu took part in the Defense Ministry board meeting, which apart from the Syrian operation touched upon such issues as nuclear strategy, NATO expansion and Arctic military bases.

"Special attention should be paid to strengthening the combat potential of the strategic nuclear forces and implementing defense space programs," Putin said during the meeting.



Russia needs to "arm all the components of the nuclear triad with new armaments, raise the efficiency of the missile attack warning and aerospace defense systems,” the Russian president said.

.......um, ISIS..... I wouldn't piss this chap off.................

 

[ScottL]

OK so which thread do I dump Russian Shit into now???


Contrasting views on Russia's level of success in Syria:

• Russia Demonstrating Its Newly Restored Military Prowess in Syria - Reid Standish
  Earlier this week, Russia hit targets near Raqqa, the Islamic State's capital in Syria, with cruise missiles launched from an advanced stealth submarine in the Mediterranean Sea. Moscow previously fired missiles from warships in the Caspian Sea in October and November. By using the military campaign in Syria as a testing ground for new weaponry and hardware, the Kremlin is alerting Western powers of Russia's newly restored military prowess after decades of decay.
  "The missiles launched from the submarine were more of a political weapon aimed at Washington, rather than a military one aimed at ISIS," said Chris Harmer, a senior naval analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. "There is no tactical reason for Russia to fire a cruise missile. They are using these to show the world that they can." "It's also about showing potential customers that Russian weapons can do impressive things," said Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University. (Foreign Policy)
  
• Russia Bogging Down in Syria - Michael Crowley
  U.S. and Israeli officials say Putin's intervention in Syria is showing slower results than he had hoped. "The Russians thought they would make a lot more progress on the ground fast," said one administration official. "They haven't made really any....It's measured by low-digit kilometers at the most." "The whole idea of the Russian presence in Syria is to launch an offensive," Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon told the Brookings Institution's Saban Forum last Friday. "It seems to be a failure."
  Russian planes and cruise missiles began striking Syrian rebel forces in late September as Assad's army began a ground offensive, assisted by 2,000 Iranian-led fighters, including religious militias and Revolutionary Guard troops. But that ground offensive has mostly sputtered, with indications that Iran - which has taken significant casualties - has withdrawn more than half of its forces. (Politico)