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

RS2155a

Incident date

April 22, 2017

Location

احسم, Ihsim town, Al Zawiya mountain, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.7205935, 36.555888 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians were killed – including a child – and others were wounded, when un-exploded cluster bomb remnants from a previous strike detonated in Ihsim town, Al Zawiya mountain, Idlib, local media said. Only the Shaam News Network reported that Russian warplanes were responsible for the initial shelling; all other sources did not attribute any blame.

The shelling occurred in southern Idlib near the Lebanon boarder according to AMC.

Smart news reported that the bomb was an RPG, however Syrian Mirror reported it was an un-exploded cluster bomb.

The civil defence went to the scene and worked to secure it and transfer the victims to safety.

The incident occured around dawn.

The victims were named as:

Abdo Mahmoud El Oyoun
Age unknown male killed
Mustafa Khaled El Oyoun
Age unknown killed
Ali al - Jazzar Abu Yazan
Adult male killed
Son of Ali al - Jazzar Abu Yazan
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Unknown

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 April 1st – 31st 2017.

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Unknown

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2394

Incident date

August 19, 2017

Location

حمادة عمر, Hamada Omar, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.025374, 37.423313 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local sources reported that four or five civilians were killed, including four young men from the same family, and others were injured, following an airstrike on Hamada Omar. All sources blamed Russian warplanes for the raid.

According to the Shaam News Network, “Activists said four young men from the al-Haj Ahmad Saad al-Din al-Hamoud family were killed and other members of the family were injured as Russian warplanes bombarded their home with several rockets.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Man from the al-Haj Ahmad Saad al-Din al-Hamoud family 1
Adult male killed
Man from the al-Haj Ahmad Saad al-Din al-Hamoud family 2
Adult male killed
Man from the al-Haj Ahmad Saad al-Din al-Hamoud family 3
Adult male killed
Man from the al-Haj Ahmad Saad al-Din al-Hamoud family 4
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • (4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (4) [ 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 specific strikes between August 1st - 31st 2017.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • (4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2956

Incident date

February 1, 2018

Location

سراقب, Saraqib, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.859101, 36.797731 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to five members of the Civil Defence were killed and several were left wounded, local media reported, following alleged Russian or Assad regime shelling of the Civil Defence Center in Saraqib, Idlib.

Several local media reported that the Civil Defence Center had been struck, described by the Civil Defences’ Twitter as “heavy shelling”.

The same source said that the strikes killed four members of the Civil Defence.

Meanwhile, Zaman al-Wasl reported that “Yesterday [February 1st], the cities and towns of the eastern and southern suburbs saw intensive shelling of civilian homes and civilian defence centres, leaving five dead, including volunteers of the civil defence.”
It is, however, not clear from Zaman al-Wasl’s report how many of these victims were killed in the strike on the Civil Defence Center, or in the other strike that also hit Saraqib the same day (described in RS2757).

Most of the sources reported about “several wounded” and all as members of the Civil Defence.

Finally, among all the sources who attributed blame, all pointed to Russian warplanes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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]

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 February 1st - 28th 2018.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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

RS342

Incident date

January 4, 2016

Location

الباب, Al-Bab, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

Five civilians were killed and several others injured in alleged Russian and/or Assad regime airstrikes on Al Bab, according to local sources.

The Shaam News Network produced two reports on the alleged incident. The first report put the death toll at two and an unspecified number of wounded, while the second report said five civilians were killed in addition to “casualties”.

The Daesh agency Al A’maq blamed Russia. However others claimed Assad regime helicopters had also participated in the attacks.

According to the VDC, Farouk Bakeer – a White Helmet volunteer – died in al-Bab on January 4th, though it attributes his death to an Assad regime airstrike. All 4 Syria blamed Russia, noting; “Activists said Russian warplanes raided Daesh-occupied al-Bab four times, targeting Osama bin Zaid Mosque and a field hospital in the city, and causing the deaths of five civilians according to a preliminary toll, including a civil defense worker  called Farouk Bakir. In addition a number of civilians were wounded.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Farouk Bakeer
Adult male White Helmet volunteer killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 man)
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

In its report for military actions on January 11 2016, the Kremlin reports carrying out strikes in Aleppo governorate: “In the course of 10 days of the year 2016, the Russian aircraft have performed 311 combat sorties engaging 1097 objects in the Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, Daraa, and Raqqah provinces.“

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
    5
  • (1 man)
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS545

Incident date

February 4, 2016

Location

الفردوس, Al Fardous (Aleppo), Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.180995, 37.151892 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Shaam News Network, reported that five non-combatants died in Fardous as part of “Russian aggression on different areas in Aleppo” on Thursday February 4th.

The Syrian Press Center reported that Russian warplanes carried out “a number of raids on Al Mashhad and al Ferdous in the city of Aleppo, which resulted in the death of 11 civilians, including women and children, as well as others injured, some in critical condition.”

Alnateq Press, Shahba Press and Akhtbar el Thawra Elsouriya also reported Russian strikes on Fardous.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

From February 4th – February 11th, Russia reported: “In the course of the last week, February 4-11, aircraft of the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 510 combat sorties engaging 1,888 terrorists’ objects in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Homs, Hasakah and Raqqah.“ It added: “Two powerful field commanders were liquidated in the Aleppo province.In the suburbs of Kalaz-Tahtani, a large illegal armed group with its commander, “Abu Maher” (“Farid Al-Misri”) was eliminated by an airstrike.The field commander “Abu Anas Al-Sham” from the Jaysh al-Sham terrorist group was liquidated in the territory of the same province.” It also said that “Russian aviation eliminated open ISIS oil storages in the Aleppo province.“

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS3037

Incident date

February 19, 2018

Location

النشابية, Al Nashabiya, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.514157, 36.487656 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between three and five civilians, including at least one child, were killed as the town of Al Nashabiya, eastern Ghouta, Damascus, was subject to aerial, and possibly also artillery shelling, local media reported. Sources were unclear whether to blame Russia or the Syrian regime – or both.

As several sources reported, large parts of eastern Ghouta were subject to heavy shelling around February 19th, 2018. Enab Baladi reported that the joint Assad/Russian campaign “has intensified its bombing of warplanes and inflicted dozens of civilian casualties in the past three days”, including the town of Al Nashabiya.

Reports spanned from three to five civilian fatalities, and Step News Agency, who reported three deaths, said that one child was among these.

None of the sources mentioned how many civilians, if any, were left wounded.

Step News Agency reported as the only one about both aerial and artillery shelling.

While the majority of sources attributed blame to both the Syrian regime and Russia, Marshad al-Hassaka blamed only Russian warplanes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 5
  • (1 child)
  • 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 (7) [ 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 February 1st - 28th 2018.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 5
  • (1 child)
  • 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 (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS866

Incident date

June 6, 2016

Location

كفر حلب, Kafr Halab, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.062057, 36.871512 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians died in an airstrike on Kafr Halab, according to local sources – though it was unclear from reports whether this was the work of Russia or the Syrian regime.

The Shaam News Network, reported that 21 civilians died in Aleppo “in the first day of Ramadan in regime and Russian bombing“. It put the death toll in Kafr Halab at five civilians.

In a video posted by SNN the reporter talks about helicopters and warplanes but also mentions barrel bombs.

Soreoooo pointed towards Russia, and said that they used cluster bombs in the strike.

According to Shahba Press, “the death toll rose following Russian warplane shelling in Kafr Halab, with five people from the same family killed.”

Al Buraq Media blamed both “Russian and Syrian warplanes”, while according to Eldorar, five civilians from one family died, though it didn’t identify who was responsible.

Similarly, a number of other reports didn’t name the culprit.

However, Free Aleppo Police blamed the regime, reporting in a video that  warplanes targeted a police station.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • 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 (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • "Regime forces target the police station in Kafar Halab" (Youtube by Free Aleppo Police)
  • A report on the presence of warplanes, helicopters and barrel bombs in the region. (Video by SNN Facebook)

Geolocation notes (1) [ 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 June 1st – 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
    5
  • 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 (16) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2254

Incident date

May 24, 2017

Location

محيميدة, Mheimediya, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

Between three and five civilians, including one to two children and one woman, were killed and others were wounded in alleged Russian or Assad regime airstrikes against the village of Mheimidiya in the western suburb of Deir Ezzor, according to local sources.

Three of the civilians killed were reportedly from the Mohammed al-Abar family and were killed when the airstrikes struck their two-story house. In a Euphrates Post report, their estimate of three killed was acknowledged to be an initial toll following the airstrikes.

The majority of sources, including Zaman al-Wasl and Syrian Network for Human Rights, identified regime planes as responsible for the casualties in Mheimidiya. However, another source, Ahmad al Shibli twitter (@7UFCmSxd0IUBffH), blamed Russia for carrying out the airstrikes.

Additional sources, including Shaam Network, did not specify whether Russia or the regime was responsibe and instead identified both regime and Russian planes as perpetrating bombings in the area. In addition to striking civilian homes, the airstrikes also destroyed a number of shops.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Najah Moheisen al-Abbar
Age unknown female killed
Son of Muhammad al-Issa al-Abbar
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 5
  • (1–2 children1 woman)
  • 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

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

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 5
  • (1–2 children1 woman)
  • 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]