Conflict

Russian Military in Syria

Incident Code

RS4811

Location

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.904042, 36.726111
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: October 31, 2025

(Previous Incident Code: R4559)

On the night of September 23, 2023, in Sarmin, Idlib, an incident with contested responsibility—reportedly either by Syrian regime forces or the Russian military—struck an agricultural area, injuring a civilian man, which was confirmed by multiple sources including the White Helmets organization.

The civilian injured was reportedly a farmer who was picking figs in a residential area, when the projectiles struck. The strike was attributed to have been from the Syrian regime or the Russian military. It is contested whether it was a rocket bombing, missile strike, or artillery shelling by different local news sources on Twitter. The White Helmets of the Syrian Civil Defense were photographed helping the injured civilian, and they reported his injuries as minor superficial injuries and followed up with him. However, @AsharqNewsSYR identified the farmer’s injuries as “serious”.

Assessment Updates

13 August 2025
Geolocation added. Incident had not been geolocated when originally published.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Strike Status
Contested strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported injured
1
1 Man

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Sarmin (سرمين), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.904042, 36.726111. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

Russian Military Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Russian Military
Russian Military position on incident
Not yet assessed
Syrian Regime Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Syrian Regime
Syrian Regime position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media from Sources (2)