Russian Military in Syria

Russian Military in Syria

A Russian combat aircraft at Khmeimim airbase in Syria being prepared for action. (Russian Ministry of Defence)

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Incident Code

R4461

Incident date

August 16, 2022

Location

كنصفرة, Kansafra, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least two people were killed and between one and two others were injured when a previous shelling remnant exploded in the town of Kansafra, south of Idlib on the 16th of August 2022.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported that two people were killed and another was injured. According to Syrian Network for Human Rights, Muhammad Omar Khalil and Saddam Dani were killed through the explosion of a landmine while harvesting figs between the villages Kansafra and al Fatira. A third person, Ahmad Aflouk was injured through the explosion, as reported by @jamlyyyyy. One local source, Shaam News, mentions that two civilians were injured, yet further information is not available.

A local reporter from Shaam News stated that the area was subjected to artillery shelling by allegedly Syrian regime forces immediately after the explosion, which hindered the arrival of civil defense teams being able to offer immediate aid to the victims.

The Syrian Civil Defense attributed the original source of the artillery shell that exploded to Russian or regime forces, while other sources reported that the source was unknown while @ZaitunAgency directly attributed the cluster bomb remnant to Russian forces.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Muhammad Omar Khalil أبو عمر خليل
Adult male killed
Saddam Dani صدام داني
Adult male killed
Ahmad Aflouk أحمد عفلوك
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Planted explosives and unexploded ordnance (UXO)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Syrian Civil Defense volunteers assist a civilian injured by an artillery shell remnant allegedly launched by Russian and regime forces. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • One of the two civilians killed by the remnants of a landmine that exploded on August 16, 2022. (Image posted by @jamlyyyyy)
  • One of the two civilians killed by the remnants of a landmine that exploded on August 16, 2022. (Image posted by @jamlyyyyy)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Planted explosives and unexploded ordnance (UXO)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4501

Incident date

January 28, 2023

Location

عين عيسى, Ain Issa, Raqqa, Syria

Airwars assessment

A 15 year old child was injured by an alleged Russian military vehicle in the city of Ain Issa in Raqqa on January 28, 2023.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a 15 year old child was seriously injured when a Russian military vehicle ran the child over on the Main Street in the center of Ain Issa. SOHR added that the injured child was first transferred to the “Martyr Omar Alloush” hospital for treatment, and then was later transferred to the city of Raqqa.

Euphrates Post added that the name of the child is Dijwar Mahmoud.

All of the sources that reported on the incident identified the vehicle as belonging to Russian forces. @ANFArabicNews added that the vehicle tried to flee but it was prevented from it by local people.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Dijwar Mahmoud دجوار محمود
15 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Accidents related to conflict
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Graphic image of child injured when he was run over by alleged Russian vehicle on January 28, 2023. (Image posted by @khaleedalkhteb)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Accidents related to conflict
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4539

Incident date

August 16, 2023

Location

Maaret Al Nassan, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

On August 16th, 2023, at least one civilian was injured in shelling allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime and/or Russian forces in the Syrian village of Maarat Al-Nassan.

The Syrian Civil Defense (@SyriaCivilDefe) reported that a civilian was injured by artillery shelling carried out by the Syrian regime and Russian forces, adding that their volunteers inspected the bombing location and made sure no one else was injured.

However, a military source told North Press that “Damascus government forces targeted with heavy artillery shells and missiles sites in the town of Maarat al-Naasan, east of Idlib, which resulted in the injury of two people of varying severity.” Qasioun News stated that one civilian was injured during a bombing with artillery and rocket launchers, and another civilian was injured in the afternoon by continued shelling of civilian homes. The source added that the second injured civilian was transferred to a medical point for treatment.

Sources were conflicted as to whether the Syrian regime or Russian forces were responsible, with the majority of sources attributing the shelling to the Syrian regime while the Syrian Civil Defense blamed both Russian forces and the Syrian regime.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Civil Defense volunteers respond to alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling of Maaret Al Nassan on August 16, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • The effects of artillery shelling by the gangs of regime, on residential neighborhoods in the town of Maarat Al-Naasan in the northern countryside of Idlib

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4559

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

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”.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Binnish888

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4443

Incident date

March 16, 2022

Location

معارة النعسان, Miznaz, Maarat Al-Naasan, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

36.035556, 36.838611 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Mustafa Haidar, aged 11, was injured while grazing sheep, when a Russian or Syrian regime forces shell hit him on March 16th 2022, in the town of Miznaz, on the outskirts of Maarat al-Naasan, in the northeastern countryside of Idlib.

The Syrian Civil Defense said that they inspected the site that was bombed and made sure that there were no other casualties.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (1)

Mustafa Haider
11 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • One child was injured as a result of alleged Russian or Syrian shelling on the outskirts of Maarat Al-Naasan on March 16th 2022 (Image via SCD / Facebook)
  • Mustafa Haider, aged 11, was injured as a result of alleged Russian or Syrian shelling on the outskirts of Maarat Al-Naasan on March 16th 2022 (Image via @Almohrar1 / Twitter)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Maaret Al Nassan (معارة النعسان), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.035556, 36.838611. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4475

Incident date

October 10, 2022

Location

الأبزمو, Al Abzimo, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

A child was killed and between one and two women were injured in alleged Syrian regime or Russian artillery shelling of Al Abzimo on October 10, 2022.

According to @SyriaCivilDefe, a child was killed and his mother was seriously injured by artillery shelling launched by the Syrian regime and Russian forces at a residential house and a wedding hall in Al Abzimo. A tweet from @anasanas84 identified one child killed and two women injured in the bombing.

Zaman Al Wasl reported that the child killed was 17-year-old boy “Mahmoud Al-Jassem” and two other women were seriously injured and taken to Atarib city hospital. Baladi News added that the child and his mother were displaced from the town of Sheikh Ali, west of Aleppo.

@Ahed_Slebi reported that the bombing struck a small, short wedding for some of the families from the village, killing the child and injuring his mom. However, @seerij80 tweeted that during the bombing, Mahmoud and his mom went outside of the house and that is where they were killed and injured.

An image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe shows the father of the child killed sitting next to the child’s body mourning his loss.

The majority of sources, including @abo_aljod84, reported that the Syrian regime was responsible for the artillery shelling. Baladi News specified that the regime forces used rocket-propelled grenades in the attack and Syria TV blamed the regime forty-sixth regiment. However, the Syrian Civil Defense attributed the shelling to both the Syrian regime and Russia.

The incident occured at approximately 11:00 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Mahmoud Al-Jassem
17 years old male killed
Mother of Mahmoud Al-Jassem
Adult female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (17) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Body of the child killed by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on Al Abzimo on October 10, 2022. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Body of the child killed by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on Al Abzimo on October 10, 2022. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Body of the child killed by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on Al Abzimo on October 10, 2022. (Image posted by @seerij80)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Graphic image of the child killed by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on October 10, 2022. (Image posted by @abo_aljod84)

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (17) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4513

Incident date

May 15, 2023

Location

كفرعويد, Kafr Aweed, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

One man, identified by sources as Suleiman Muhammad al-Saleem, was killed on May 15th 2023 after artillery shelling attributed to both the Syrian regime and Russian forces hit the village of Kafr Aweed in the southern countryside of Idlib according to local media outlets and the Syrian Civil Defence.

Initial reports from the Syrian Civil Defence said that a victim was taken to hospital to be treated for an abdominal injury, and later updated their reporting to state that the injured civilian died from his wounds.Twitter user @Nadjat567 claimed the shelling resulted in multiple casualties, with no further information on these.

Multiple sources reported that the area was subjected to ‘intense’ artillery shelling. Syria TV alleged that the shelling came from forces stationed in the Zaytoun camp near Kafranbel.

Macro Media Centre, local TV channel HalabToday, IQA News Agency, Baladi Network and Al Tareek attributed the shelling to the Syrian regime.

The Syria Civil Defence, Shaam, Zaiton and Syria TV attributed the artillery shelling to both Russian and Syrian forces. Local news source Zaiton Mag reported that “The towns of Al-Bara, Deir Sunbul and Benin, south of Idlib, Maarat Al-Naasan, northeast of Idlib, the vicinity of Al-Atarib, Al-Qasr, Al-Wasata, Kafarama and Kafr Taal, west of Aleppo, and Al-Sarmaniyeh and Dweir Al-Akrad, west of Hama, were also subjected to similar shelling, without causing casualties.”  Multiple media reports claimed that the shelling was deliberate in order to prevent civilians from returning to villages near contact lines.

The incident occured in the atternoon.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

The victims were named as:

Suleiman Muhammad al- Saleem
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • Civil Defense volunteers helping a civilian injured by alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @​​SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers helping a civilian injured by alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @​​SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers helping a civilian injured by alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @​​SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers helping a civilian injured by alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @​​SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Suleiman Muhammad al- Saleem, killed by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @@MMCSYR)
  • alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @Najdat567)
  • alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime shelling of Kafr Aweed on May 15, 2023. (Image posted by @Najdat567)

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4545

Incident date

August 26, 2023

Location

دير سنبل, Deir Sinbol, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the morning of August 26th 2023, an elderly male civilian was “slightly injured” according to Syrian Civil Defence (@SyriaCivilDefe), during shelling allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime and/or Russian forces on a residential neighborhood in the village of Deir Sunbul, south Idlib, Syria.

The Syrian Civil Defence (@SyriaCivilDefe) reported that their volunteers gave medical treatment to the injured man after civilians took him to their center in the town of Ihsim, after which he was taken to a hospital in the city of Ariha for additional treatment.

Enab Baladi news reported that the civilian was injured when Syrian regime and Russian forces allegedly shelled the vicinity of the Rabi’a al-Adawiya school during the approaching start of the new school year.

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An elderly man injured by shelling carried out by Russian forces and/or the Syrian regime in the village of Deir Sunbul, Syria (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe via Twitter, on August 26th, 2023)
  • The Air Force renewed its targeting of the militants' movements and destroyed their vehicle south of Kafr Aweed hill Heavy artillery units and missiles continue to target their positions and supply lines in the towns of Al-Bara, Kansafra, Sufohen, and Deir Sanbel in Jabal Al-Zawiya, and the axes of Sahl Al-Ghab in the western countryside of Hama.

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]