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)

Belligerent
Russian Military
Country
Syria
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure
text search
4807 Results
sort by:
Sort by:
Incident date
Civilian deaths alleged
Civilian deaths confirmed by belligerent

Incident Code

RS2980

Incident date

February 6, 2018

Location

ترملا , Tarmala, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.5250124, 36.4741687 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least two and as many as four civilians were killed, including one child, while several others were left wounded as alleged Russain warplanes struck the al Shamali neighbourhood in Tarmala village, Idlib, local media reported.

Up to four civilians were killed in this incident, where all sources unanimously attributed blame to Russia.

While Syrian Network for Human Rights (SN4HR) said that two civilians were killed, one child and one adult man, both identified by name, Edlib Media Center said that the strike had killed as many as four civilians.

LCCSY described the incident as a “massacre” and added that besides from the killed, several were left wounded under the rubble.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Fuad Mohammad al Hussein
Adult male media activist, from Tarmalla village killed
Kamal Mohammad al Turk
Child male killed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • (1 child1 man)
  • 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]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • The media activist, Fuad Mohammad al Hussein, was killed by the alleged Russian strikes in Tarmala, Idlib, February 6th, 2018 (via SN4HR)
  • The child Kamal Mohammad al Turk was killed by the alleged Russian strikes in Tarmala, Idlib, February 6th, 2018 (via SN4HR)

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

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • (1 child1 man)
  • 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

RS490

Incident date

January 28, 2016

Location

نحليا, Nahlia, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.8464, 36.6003 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a news roundup, the Shaam News Network reported that two civilians were killed and a number more wounded in alleged Russian airstrikes on Nahlia.

Radio Al Kul placed the death toll at four.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • 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 (3) [ 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 military report published on 1st February 2016, the Kremlin said: “In the course of the last week, the Russian aircraft in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 468 combat sorties engaging 1354 terrorists’ infrastructural facilities in the Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Raqqah, Daraa and Deir ez-Zor provinces. Among them – 24 ones were carried out by Tu-22M3 long-range bombers from the Russian territory,” but makes no mention of carrying out strikes in Idlib.

Summary

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

Incident Code

RS2759

Incident date

November 5, 2017

Location

العباس, al Abbas river crossing, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.6897222, 40.83 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A single source reported that Russian warplanes struck “Hajeen village and the crossing of the village of Abbas al-Nahari east of Deir al-Zour, [with] several raids, killing 4 civilians.”

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS3157

Incident date

March 4, 2018

Location

دوما, Douma, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.5714804, 36.4033699 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three to four civilians were killed due to injuries sustained in an earlier shelling on Douma, according to local media. Sources attributed this strike to both Russia and the Syrian regime.

According to SHRC.arabic, “three people affected by the impact of a previous air strike that targeted the city of Douma in the province of Damascus countryside died on Sunday”.

The Violations Documentation Centre named four adult male victims, blaming the “Syrian government and affiliated militias” for their deaths.

The date of the previous strike is unclear. Airwars research has concluded that the civilians were most likely killed in the alleged Russian strike, RS3138, on Douma (March 2nd). It must be noted that this is an educated guess, we have no evidence to prove this.

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mohi Eddin Zeno
Adult male killed
Ahmed Mawas
Adult male killed
Said Mahmoud Al - Kallis
Age unknown male killed
Amer Mulla
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (4 men)
  • 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 (4) [ collapse]

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 harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (4 men)
  • 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 (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1149

Incident date

August 15, 2016

Location

الرحيبة, Al Rahiba, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.7445319, 36.703025 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four named civilians died and up to 20 more were wounded in strikes on the northern neighbourhood of Al Rahiba town, Damascus, local media reported – though it was unclear whether Russia or the regime were to blame for the casualties.

According to Syria News Desk, “Russian warplanes launched five raids on al Rahiba town which is under the control of the opposition in the eastern Qalamoun in the northern Damascus countryside focusing on the northern neighbourhood. This led to the death of two civilians and the injury of 20 others – and widespread destruction.”

However, @yas39779445 reported that the regime fired cluster bombs on the town.

@SRV_News added that “Regime forces were preventing the entry of vegetables to the city Al Rahiba for the second day running – as well as preventing the entry and exit of civilians”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdul Salam Al – Rayhan
Age unknown named by VDC killed
Ismail Omar Amuri
Age unknown named by VDC killed
Maryam Soulayman
Age unknown named by VDC killed
Fatima Al-Sheikh
Age unknown named by VDC killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (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 on August 15th 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1775

Incident date

December 8, 2016

Location

الانصاري, al-Ansari, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.1529125, 37.075864 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local sources reported that air or artillery strikes killed up four civilians as they struck the neighbourhood of al-Ansari, Aleppo. The responsible belligerent was, however, unclear with one source pointing to the Syrian regime and another two attributing the incident to Russia.

The incident was reportedly part of a larger aerial shelling of Aleppo, that in total killed and wounded “dozens” on December 8th 2016, Aletihad Press News reported. According to that source, the shelling of al-Ansari led to four civilian fatalities.

@abdulrahm55an41 published a video from the aftermath of the shelling, showing the dead body of one civilian man.

Despite the general reporting from Aleppo, no known sources mentioned the number of wounded in al-Ansari that day.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (1 man)
  • 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 (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Tweet and video showing one of the victims of what in the tweet is claimed to be Russian strikes on al-Ansari, Aleppo, on 8 December 2016 (via @abdulrahm55an41)

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has not reported any specific strikes between December 1st – 31st 2016.

On 6 January 2017, Russia, however, reported: “Since November 8, 2016, the aircraft carrier group of the Northern Fleet consisting of the heavy aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the large ASW ship Severomorsk, as well as auxiliary vessels of the Black Sea Fleet, has been fulfilling counterterrorist missions on the territory of Syria”, adding that ”in the course of two months of their participation in the combat actions, naval aviation pilots have carried out 420 combat sorties, 117 of them were night ones.”

Additionally, Russia reported that its air forces have carried out strikes in Aleppo during November and December 2016.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (1 man)
  • 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 (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS1985

Incident date

March 19, 2017

Location

مسكنة, Maskana, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

35.963172, 38.035655 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Russian warplanes killed between four and seven civilians, including two children and two women, in an alleged attack on the Hittin compound in the the city of Maskanah, local media reported.

According to the Step News Agency, “seven civilians, including two children and a woman, were killed and dozens more wounded when Russian warplanes targeted civilian homes in the Hittin compound of Maskanah with two rockets. Three civilian houses were destroyed and a civilian car burnt.”

The Syrian Network for Human Rights put the death toll at four civilians (two children and two women) and also blamed Russia.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mohammed al-Shakli
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (2 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • 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]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Mohammed al-Shakli , killed in an airstrike on Maskanah, March 19th (via Mujama’ hteen from inside)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (2 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • 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

RS083

Incident date

October 27, 2015

Location

البوابية, Buwaybiyah, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.012468, 36.890289 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to four civilians including a young girl were reported killed following heavy airstrikes at Al Bawabye which were widely attributed to Russia.

The White Helmets reported that “Civil defence teams pulled out 4 martyrs in Al Bawabiya.”

The Violations Documentation Center later named three fatalities.

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Kaled al-Taleb
Adult male killed
Abdulkareem al-Taleb
Adult male killed
Fatemah al-Taleb
Child female 4 years old

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (1 child2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Buwaybiyah (البوابية), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.012468, 36.890289. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Unknown Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Unknown
Official source

The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed carrying out airstrikes in Aleppo governorate on October 27th-28th 2015: “For 24 hours, aircraft of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 71 combat sorties engaging 118 terrorist objects in the Idlib, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, Damascus and Lattakia provinces…

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (1 child2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (5) [ collapse]