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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Russian Military
Country
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Incident Code

RS382

Incident date

January 12, 2016

Location

قاضي عسكر, Qadi A'skar, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.20131, 37.17594 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Seven to ten civilians were killed and dozens injured in an alleged Russian airstrike on a mosque in Qadi A’skar, according to a number of sources.

Activists told Shaam News that Russian warplanes targeted the mosque of Agha Jakk during afternoon prayers, resulting in the deaths of 10 people with dozens more wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also blamed Russia, reporting that at least five were killed and dozens more wounded.

An initial report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights said that regime warplanes were responsible. However, the Network subsequently said that Russia carried out the attack, killing seven.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 10
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

Russia has not reported any strikes between 11-15 January.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 10
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS414

Incident date

January 17, 2016

Location

معردبسة, Ma’ardabssa, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.7772965, 36.769352 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One woman was killed and several other civilians injured following an alleged Russian raid on the town of Ma’ardabssa, according to the Shaam News Network.

Fresh Syria reported that “a woman was killed  in the village of Ma’ardebsah Idlib, a result of the Russian aviation targeting the village on Sunday afternoon with three air raids. The raids also resulted in a number of people being wounded, some of them critically”.

Free Syria also reported three Russian strikes but did not mention casualties.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Dibeh Mohammad al-Shamali –
Adult female said that she was killed by regime shelling killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

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

In its report for military actions on January 19 2016, the Kremlin makes no mention of carrying out strikes in Idlib governorate.

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 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS448

Incident date

January 22, 2016

Location

الطابية جزيرة, Al Tabiya Jazeera, Deir ez-Zor, Syria

Geolocation

35.2501, 40.29627 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 34 and 50 civilians including up to eight women and 16 children were killed and more than 60 injured in alleged Russian airstrikes on Al Tabiya Jazeera, according to multiple sources.

An initial report by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently said that Russian two strikes led to the deaths of four civilians families in their entirety.

Subsequent reports put the death toll at 37 non-combatants who were buried in a “mass grave“, and predicted that the number was likely to rise to 50. A further report said that 48 had died and more than 60 were wounded, most of them being in “critical condition“.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, 38 died when alleged Russian warplanes shelled Al Tabiya Jazeera. This figure included seven women and 16 children.

The Shaam News Network said that three families of mostly women and children were killed in Russian strikes, bringing the number killed to more than 45, but they later reported that it was almost 50 with dozens more injured.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 30 civilians, including 13 children – three of whom were blind and from the same family – and eight women, killed by “warplanes” – but said that it was not known whether these belonged to Russia or the Assad regime.

Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently named victims including five unknown women from outside the village.

 

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Son of Ibrahimal Mustapha 1
Age unknown male named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
Son of Ibrahimal Mustapha 2
Age unknown male named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
Son of Ibrahimal Mustapha 3
Age unknown male named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed

Family members (3)

A member of the Al Rahil family
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
A member of the Al Rahil family
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
A member of the Al Rahil family
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed

Family members (1)

The family of Salloum Ramadan Al Saleh
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently, who were all visually impaired killed

Family members (1)

The family of Abd Al Jabbar al Mustapha
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently, except for Mustapha al Jabbar killed

Family members (3)

Reiss Saleh al Nakash
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
The family of Ahmad Ja’afar Al Nakash
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
The family of his brother Farhan Ja’afar Al Nakash
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed

Family members (1)

The “family of Abdul-Jabbar Mustafa
Age unknown named later by Shaam News Network killed

Family members (1)

The family of Farhan Jaafar Al Nakas
Age unknown named later by Shaam News Network killed

Family members (1)

The family Salloum Ramadan Al Saleh
Age unknown named later by Shaam News Network killed

The victims were named as:

Anas Bashir Al Saleh
Age unknown named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
son of Sleiman Al Abd Al Ali
Age unknown male named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
The son of Khalaf al Salama
Age unknown male named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed
Jalal Hassoun al Allawi
49 years old named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently, died “due to being hit by shrapnel in his chest”.  killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    34 – 50
  • (10–16 children4–8 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    24–60
  • 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 (14) [ 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 25th January, the Kremlin said: “In the course of the last three days, January 22-24, aircraft of the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic performed 169 combat sorties engaging 484 objects of terrorists’ infrastructure…crews of Tu-22M3 long-range bombers performed 18 combat sorties from the territory of the Russian Federation in order to engage manpower and hardware of the ISIS near Deir ez-Zor on January 22-24. Flight range reached more than 2,000 kilometers.“

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    34 – 50
  • (10–16 children4–8 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    24–60
  • 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 (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS480

Incident date

January 27, 2016

Location

أبو حمام, Abu Hamam, Deir ez-Zor, Syria

Geolocation

34.82365, 40.65961 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four civilians including one women and two children were killed and several others injured in an alleged Russian airstrike on the al Shaitat area of Abu Hamam, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently.

The Syrian Observatory reported the deaths of two children, one woman and one man in a Russian raid on the town.

Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently also put the death toll – again blaming Russian warplanes – at four and named one child victim.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Rimas Abd Al Razzak Al Ali
Child male named by Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (2 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Rimas Abd Al Razzak Al Ali, killed by an alleged Russia raid on 27th January 2016. (via, Deir Ezzor is being Slaughtered Silently)

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…Long-range bomber aviation aircraft supported units of the Syrian governmental troops which defended the city of Deir ez-Zor. The airstrikes carried out by Tu-22M3 bombers from the territory of the Russian Federation jointly with tactical aviation from the Hmeymim airbase, engaged 23 important terrorists’ objects in that district. The attempt of terrorists to assault Deir ez-Zor was frustrated.“

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (2 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS513

Incident date

January 31, 2016

Location

حي الصالحين, Salheen (Aleppo), Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.1807701, 37.167263 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

According to Radio Al Kul “Two [civilians] killed, including a child and several wounded with burning shops, as a result of Russian aviation targeting with rockets the shoe market in the neighborhood of # AL SALHEEN south of Aleppo.”

No additional details are presently known.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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

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...Near Jeb Ghabishah (Aleppo province), a Su-24M bomber destroyed ammunition and POL storages of the ISIS terrorists.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS549

Incident date

February 4, 2016

Location

مَعَرَّة النُّعْمَان, Maarat al Numan, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.647038, 36.679174 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a news roundup, the Shaam News Network reported deaths in Maarat al Numan, which it attributed to Russian warplanes: “Since early morning, the Russian enemy planes circled the skies of the province and launched air raids on civilian homes in the towns of Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhun and Kafrtkharim and the outskirts of Sarakeb and the towns of Taftanaz, Mardikh and Kalalli, Al tama’na, Kafteen, Sarmada, Kafr Daryan, Al Habeet, Kafr Najad and Jade’een which led to the fall of martyrs and wounded in Maart al Nu’man, Kafrtkharim and Mardikh and wounded in the rest of the targeted towns.”

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Bilal Melhem Haj Mosa
Adult male Named by VDC. killed

Summary

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

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

For February 4th – February 11th, Russia reported that a “Su-24 bomber destroyed the ISIS command center in the Idlib province.”

Summary

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

Incident Code

RS581

Incident date

February 9, 2016

Location

ﺣﻠﺐ, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.197971, 37.1656697 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Violations Documentation Center named one civilian Abo Shukri as a victim – but no details were given about where he was killed, and the name is not precise.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Namer al-Shukri was killed in alleged Russian raids. However it said he was “the military commander of Aleppo district in the Islamic movement of Fajr al-Sham and a member of the office Media in the city“.

It went on to add that “several others including officers were injured when Russian warplanes bombed the headquarter of the movement in Ain al-Tal are north of Aleppo city.”

Houran-Ibrahim Alzoubi also said that Nimr-Karim ‘Abu Shukri was a military commander.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abo Shukri
Adult male killed
Name unknown
Age unknown

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • 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

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
    0 – 1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS614

Incident date

February 15, 2016

Location

حزرما, Hazrama, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.51718, 36.48874 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Shaam News Network reported that one civilian was killed in an alleged Russian airstrike in Hazrama as part of “dozens of raids on the towns of eastern Ghouta”.

The VDC listed one adult male, as killed in “warplane shelling” in Hazrama. The victim was also listed by Syrian Martyrs, who said he was killed in a Russian strike. RP Syria reported one death in the village from a Russian raid.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mahmood al-Lahhan
Adult male Listed by VDC killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • 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

Russia makes no public mention of having carried out strikes in Damascus from February 10th – February 16th.

Summary

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