Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War |
Part of the Syrian Civil War,
and the military intervention against ISIL
|
A Russian Su-34 conducting an airstrike in Syria |
Date |
30 September 2015 – present
(1 year, 8 months, 4 weeks and 1 day) |
Location |
Syria |
Result |
Ongoing
- Pro-government forces capture 705 settlements and over 17,000 sq km of territory
- Major pro-government strategic gains in Latakia, Palmyra, Raqqa, Damascus, and Aleppo theaters
- Russian forces partially withdraw in March 2016
- Russian airforce in indefinite deployment, air-strikes to continue post-withdrawal
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|
Belligerents |
Russia In support of:
Russia In support of:
Russia In support of:
Supported by: Serbia
(support for mine clearance in Aleppo) |
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
Army of Conquest (2015–17) Tahrir al-Sham (2017–present) Supported by:
Syrian opposition
|
Commanders and leaders |
Vladimir Putin Sergey Shoygu Valery Gerasimov Sergey Rudskoy Viktor Bondarev Aleksandr Dvornikov(September 2015 - June 2016) Alexander Zhuravlyov(July 2016 - December 2016) Andrey Kartapolov(December 2016 - May 2017) Sergey Surovikin(currently)
|
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Mohammad al-Adnani † (Spokesperson) Abu Suleiman al-Naser † (Replacement Military Chief) Abu Ali al-Anbari † (Deputy, Syria)
Abu Omar al-Shishani † (Field commander in Syria) |
Basil Zamo † (1st Coastal Division chief of staff) Abu Yahia al-Hamawi(Leader of Ahrar ash-Sham) Zahran Alloush † (emir of Jaysh al-Islam)
Abu Jaber (Leader of Tahrir al-Sham) Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Leader of al-Nusra Front)
Abu Hajer al-Homsi † (al-Nusra Front top military commander)
|
Units involved |
Russian Armed Forces:
Foreign Intelligence Service:
|
Military of ISIL
|
Free Syrian Army
Army of Conquest (2015–17) Tahrir al-Sham (2017–present)
Jund al-Aqsa (Until Feb. 2017) Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria Ajnad al-Sham Ahrar ash-Sham
Sham Legion
|
Strength |
Troop strength
4,300 personnel Naval ships
3 Buyan-M-class corvettes
1 Gepard-class frigate
2 Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate
1 Vishnya-class intelligence ship
2 Improved Kilo-class submarines
1 Slava-class cruiser Kuznetsov aircraft carrier battlegroup
1 Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier
1 Kirov-class battlecruiser
2 Udaloy-class destroyers
support vessels
Strategic bombers
14 Tu-22M3
6 Tu-95MSM
5 Tu-160 Tactical bombers
12 Su-24M2
8 Su-34 Attack bombers
12 Su-25SM Fighter aircraft
4 Su-30SM
4 Su-35S Interceptor aircraft MiG-31BM Reconnaissance aircraft Il-20M1 Tu-214R Attack helicopter
12 Mi-24P
2 Mi-28N
2 Ka-52 Utility helicopter
4 Mi-8AMTSh UAV Orlan-10 Forpost Ground arms and equipment UGV
Uran-6 MRAP Kamaz TyphoonSRBM (presumed)
2 9K720 Iskander (SS-26) missile launchers SAM
3 SA-22, other anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons, including S-400 and S-300VM
|
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant:
30,000–100,000 fighters (per the CIA and the Iraqi Kurdistan Chief of Staff)
Small numbers of tanks and assorted armored vehicles |
Free Syrian Army:
Between 45,000 and 60,000 fighters (disputed) Islamic Front : (2015 only)
40,000–70,000
Tahrir al-Sham:
50,000+ Ahrar ash-Sham:
26,000–30,000+ |
Casualties and losses |
31 soldiers killed
5 helicopters and 3 warplanes lost (5 hostile fire; see here)
13–19 PMCs killed |
3,451 killed (per SOHR)
|
3,442 killed (per SOHR)
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5,194 civilians killed (per SOHR)
28,000–35,000 fighters from al-Nusra Front and ISIL killed (per Russia). |
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