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

RS1201

Incident date

August 31, 2016

Location

إدلب, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.93062, 36.63393 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to three civilians including a child and a woman died and as many as 19 others were injured in strikes on Idlib, local media reported – though sources were conflicted as to whether Russia or the Assad regime were to blame. One source reported the use of regime warships in the attacks, while several said that internationally prohibited phosphorous weapons were deployed.

LCCSY and the Syrian Press Center blamed Russia, putting the death toll at two, with as many as 19 others wounded, according to Syrian Press Center.

Al Jazeera made no mention of civilian harm, but reported that Russian warplanes had “destroyed two hospital in Idlib”; while according to Baladi, Russia conducted several raids in the town of Taftanaz, hitting an automated bakery which was put out of service.

Halab News, meanwhile, reported “the martyrdom of Ahmad Nameh, 55-years, and the injury of 14 others as a result of the Russian aviation targeting the city of Idlib with six air raids in the evening [of August 31st].”

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, “government warplanes and its allies” were to blame for the death of two civilians including one woman.

The Smart News Agency also reported actions by both Moscow and the regime. It put the death toll at three, including a child and a woman – with 17 more injured – and blamed “bombing by regime warships and Russian aircraft”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmad Nameh
55 years old male killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–19
  • 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 (14) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between August 20th – 31st 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–19
  • 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 (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1202

Incident date

August 31, 2016

Location

خان شيخون, Khan Shaykhun, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.44208, 36.65095 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One child, named as 15-year-old child died and up to nine others were wounded in an airstrike on Khan Sheikhoun, local media reported. However, it was unclear who was responsible: most sources didn’t apportion blame – though others pointed to Russia and the Assad regime.

According to @SyrianArwad, “Russian and Syrian warplanes launched air raids on Altmanah, Taftanaz, Binnish, Khan Sheikhoun and Saraqib”.

Among sources blaming Russia were LCCSY and Syria News Desk.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights didn’t mention civilian harm, but reported that “government warplanes bombed near Khan Sheikhoun, causing damage to a warehouse and its contents.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mouhammad Abu Dei
15 years old killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–9
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Mohammad Abo DI, killed in an alleged Russian and Syrian Regime raid. (via, VDC)
  • The exact moment the raid hit Khan Shaykhun, 31st August 2016. (via, Kaes idelby)
  • The aftermath of the incident. (via Syrian PC)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between August 20th – 31st 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–9
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1203

Incident date

August 31, 2016

Location

الباب, Serbs, Al-Bab, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.371972, 37.51631 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two children died in an alleged Russian airstrike on Serbs, Al Bab, local sources reported.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, “two children died when alleged Russian warplanes missiles fired on Sarbas village related to Al Bab area in Aleppo governorate, August 31.”

Halab Today and @ALAMAWI also pointed to Russia.


The Violations Documentation Center – blaming Russian shelling – named two civilian victims and one “fighter”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Qusai Mohammed Abul Khair Al-Jassem
13 years old named by VDC killed
Yasser Ahmed Al-Jassem
8 years old named by VDC killed

The victims were named as:

Ibrahim Al Qasem
Age unknown militant, named by VDC killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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 (8) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between August 20th – 31st 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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 (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1206

Incident date

September 1, 2016

Location

Maysar, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.212011, 37.171227 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three or four civilians died in an airstrike or artillery shelling of Maysar, according to sources on the ground. All but one source blamed regime artillery for the event.

LCCSY reported one civilian died and others were wounded in Russian airstrikes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mahmoud Abdel Rahman Geneidi
40 years old male killed
Ahmad Abdul Rahman Geneidi
35 years old male killed
Youssef Mahmoud Geneidi
18 years old male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between September 1st – 30th 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1207

Incident date

September 1, 2016

Location

Souran, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.2906196, 36.7492737 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to 30 civilians including 11 children died in airstrikies on Souran, Al-Lataminah, according to local media – though sources were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Syrian regime.

According to Roiraqro and Wesal_TV 10 people from the same family died when their car was hit by a strike. The sources didn’t apportion blame.

However, Orient pointed to regime warplanes, adding that most of the victims were children and women.

According to the pro-Assad website Albosleh, “warplanes targeted a number of terrorist cars on the Tayba Al-imam, Halfaya and Al-Lataminah roads and killed most of the terrorists”.

But SND attributed the strike to Russia, reporting that “Russian warplanes targeted buses carrying people from the city to the town of Al-Lataminah Soran, killing seven civilians, including children, and wounded several others”.

But in a subsequent report, SND appeared to point towards the regime, saying that “14 civilians were killed and others were injured, all from the same family, by regime warplanes in several raids on vehicles carrying people who werre fleeing from Soran town toward safer areas on the road to Al-Lataminah”.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights, also blaming the regime, put the death toll at 14 including 11 children and two women.

However, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the death toll climbed as high as 30 including 10 children and six women.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdul-Aziz Mohammed Makhlouf
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 30
  • (11 children2 women1 man)
  • 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 (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A graphic photograph of one of the deceased civilian children in Souran - the human cost of alleged warplane shelling (via Orient)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Charred boned and body parts - the impact of alleged warplane shelling on Souran (via Orient)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between September 1st – 30th 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 30
  • (11 children2 women1 man)
  • 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 (19) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1208

Incident date

September 1, 2016

Location

Mouhimidah, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.44294, 40.08619 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between seven and 10 civilians including five children died in airstrikes on Muhimidah in Deir Ezzor, according to local media – though sources were conflicted as to whether Russia or the Syrian regime were to blame.

The majority of sources, including Alamawi, Mohamaed202054, Alsharqia24 and Euphrates Post, blamed Russia, with death counts varying between seven and ten non-combatants. “Many” additional people were reportedly wounded in the attacks.

However, Eldorara and the Syrian Network for Human Rights attributed the event to the regime. SN4HR said that three children were include in the seven civilians killed.

Zaman Masdar blamed both “Russian and Syrian warplanes”.

Three victims following a strike on the house of Ahmad Al-Khalaf.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Iman Mohammed Al-Zobe
Child killed
Bilsan Al-Zobe
Child killed

Family members (3)

Hani Hamdi Khabour
killed
Rami Khabour
killed
The sister of Hani Hamdi Khabour
Child female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 10
  • (5 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–20
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between September 1st – 30th 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 10
  • (5 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–20
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1209

Incident date

September 1, 2016

Location

Hussaynah, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.35905, 40.15113 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between two and ten civilians including a woman and her child died in an alleged Russian airstrikes on Al Hussaynah, according to local media.

Alamawi, Euphrates Post, Mkmoam123, Alnaba and Alsharqia24 all blamed Russia.

Euphrates Post put the death toll as high as 10.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Basma Ramadan
Adult female killed
Abdul-Aziz
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 10
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between September 1st – 30th 2016.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 10
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1210

Incident date

September 1, 2016

Location

دير الزور, Deir ez-Zor, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.3353632, 40.1380348 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Violations Documentation Centre named one child killed in an alleged Russian airstrike on Deir Ezzor.

Euphrates Post also named the child and blamed Russia for his death.

A number of other sources didn’t identify the “warplanes” responsible.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Amjad Mohammed Sulieman Al-Tibin
Child killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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]

  • Amjad Mohammed Sulieman Al-Tibin - allegedly killed in Russian warplane shelling on Deir Ezzor (via VDC)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any strikes between September 1st – 30th 2016.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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]