Russian military advisers played an “active” role in planning the operation to free the ancient city of Palmyra from jihadists, while over 2,000 airstrikes conducted to support Syrian ground troops did not damage a single historic structure, Moscow says.
“Between March 7 and March 27 the Russian Air Force supported Syrian government units near Palmyra, conducted around 500 sorties and delivered over 2,000 airstrikes against ISIL,”Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, head of operations at the Russian General Staff reported. He stressed that
“no structure of historic value in Palmyra was damaged by the Russian Air Force.” Russian military advisers
“took a direct and active role in planning the operation,” Rudskoy said.
Russian warplanes helped Syrian artillery and air forces suppress the defenses of the city, which IS had turned into a fortress since capturing it in May 2015. The militants had considerable strength and prepared an elaborate system of fortifications, the general said.
“By the beginning of March the militants had over 4,000 fighters, at least 25 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, over 20 artillery pieces and rocket launchers, over 50 mortars, some 100 guided anti-tank missile launchers, over 50 off-road cars with heavy weapons mounted on them. The terrorists also had more than 10 trucks rigged with explosives and manned by suicide bombers and a number of drones,”he said.
Military advisers, 2K pinpoint airstrikes: How Russia helped free Palmyra from ISIS
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Moscow is disappointed to see that some Western countries refuse to salute the retaking of the Syrian city of Palmyra from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and questions their true goals in Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
The reaction coming from some western countries following the defeat of Islamic State in Palmyra by Syrian government forces with help from Russia was muted or outwardly dismissive, Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing on Thursday.
London ‘tries to downplay’ Damascus and Moscow’s role in liberating Palmyra – Russian FM spox
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A 25 year old from Orenburg, Aleksandr Prokhorenko, has been revealed as the serviceman, dubbed ‘Russian Rambo’ by international media, who died a hero. He called a strike on himself while surrounded by Islamic State during a battle near Palmyra.
“He was very open-minded, loved life… It seems only yesterday they celebrated their wedding. A year and a half passed. You can’t imagine how happy he was! So in love,” Orenday cites Aleksandr’s friends as saying.
“For a long time Katya did not know where he was sent. He didn’t want to upset her. She was sure that he served in the Caucasus, but then it turned out he was sent to Syria. Now she sleeps with a photograph of her beloved Sasha.”
Hundreds of people from various Russian cities - relatives and friends of the deceased hero – are waiting for the official burial date, in order to come to town and lay him to rest.
Russian SOF teams have been on the ground in Syria since the Russian anti-IS operation started last September. Aleksandr Prokhorenko is the fifth Russian serviceman killed during the Syrian deployment, along with Air Force pilot Oleg Peshkov, shot while in the air after ejecting from an Su-24 bomber downed by Turkey. Marine soldier Aleksandr Pozynich was also killed during the search operation to rescue the surviving Su-24 pilot.
The names of the two other deceased Russian servicemen – Ivan Cheremisin and Fedor Zhuravlev – only became known to the public at a ceremony in March at the Kremlin, when President Vladimir Putin presented military awards and decorations to those involved in the Syrian operation. The president said the servicemen who sacrificed their lives in the fight against terror
“remained committed to their duty until the end.”
25yo father-to-be revealed as ‘Russian Rambo’ who died fighting ISIS in Palmyra[/QUOTE
May he rest in peace. It is very sad when you see a promising young man die. Too many young men have died in the service of their country.