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

RS2762

Incident date

November 23–24, 2017

Location

ابوحردوب, Abou Hardoub, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.853038, 40.637715 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were killed and others were injured in air and artillery strikes on Abou Hardoub, local media reported. Sources attributed the blame to both Russia and the Syrian regime.

Local media reported that house of Oweid Al Dulan struck. He was killed as well as two members of his family

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Oweid Al Dulan
60 years old male killed
Khaled Slueiman Oweid Mohammad al-Dulan
Child male killed
Grandchild of Oweid Mohammad al-Dulan
Child male killed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Victims of the raids on Abou Hardoub, 25th Nov 2017. (via S.M.C.)
  • Victims of the raids on Abou Hardoub, 25th Nov 2017. (via S.M.C.)

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 type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2752

Incident date

November 23, 2017

Location

خان شيخون, Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib , Syria

Geolocation

35.440813, 36.6493607 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was wounded as alleged Russian warplanes carried out airstrikes in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, local media reported.

According to Smart News Agency and Fresh News, both citing sources on the ground, the warplanes launched four airstrikes, striking the headquarters of “Al Ezza Army” which belongs to the Free Syrian Army.

While both reported that one civilian was left lightly injured, Smart News Agency did not apportion blame while Fresh News pointed to Russian culpability.

Abd Alrazak Sbeh reported as the only one that numerous civilians were left wounded in this incident.

Regarding the culprit, the remaining sources agreed with Fresh News, all identifying Russia as responsible.

However, Mohamed Salom Ala blamed both Russian warplanes in combination with unidentified surface-to-surface missiles.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • The moment Khan Sheikhoun is being struck by the alleged Russian strikes on November 23rd, 2017 (via AlAzza Army)
  • The moment Khan Sheikhoun is being struck by the alleged Russian strikes on November 23rd, 2017 (via Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • The moment Khan Sheikhoun is being struck by the alleged Russian strikes on November 23rd, 2017 (via Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • The moment Khan Sheikhoun is being struck by the alleged Russian strikes on November 23rd, 2017 (via Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)

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 November 4th - 20th 2017.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2751

Incident date

November 23, 2017

Location

الباغوز, Al-Baghouz, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.43221, 40.99226 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were killed by airstrikes, possibly supplemented by artillery shelling, in Al-Baghouz, Deir Ezzor, local media reported, though the apportion of blame was unclear.

While all reports agreed that three civilians were killed in this event, they disagreed in terms of cause and responsibility.

While Step News Agency, Violations Documentation Center Syria and Masar Press all blamed Russian aerial shelling, Euphrates Post blamed the Syrian regime for launching rockets and artillery shelling.

Finally, Sound and Picture said that the three victims were killed by artillery shelling carried out by Iraqi forces – a very rare allegation in this context.

 

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Iraq Government Forces, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • The streets of Al-Baghouz, Deir Ezzor, as it was struck by the contested shelling on November 23rd, 2017 (via Masar Press)

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 November 4th - 20th 2017.


Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

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
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Iraq Government Forces, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2750

Incident date

November 23, 2017

Location

حسرات, Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.619075, 40.898297 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In what was described as a “massacre”, alleged Russian airstrikes killed least eight but as many as 17 civilians, including at least two girls, many from the same families, and wounded dozens as the town of Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, was struck, local media reported.

Euphrates Post reported that “a massacre committed by warplanes killed a number of martyrs and wounded, mostly women and children, as a result of the targeting of the water-crossing in the town of Hassrat,” adding that the strikes took place around 2 pm in the afternoon.

While the initial reports put the death toll at eight or nine, Euphrates Post and Sharqiya Voice later reported that additional civilians were killed due the wounds they had inflicted.

Several days after the incident, on November 27th, 2017, Euphrates Post reported a total of 14 named victims.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, at least two girls were among the killed.

While the list below counts 18 named fatalities, it should be noted that some might be duplicates due to imprecise reporting. For example, two victims (Nuri Wayyas El Sheikou and Abdul Karim Abdul Hamid Al-Arran) are by most reported as killed in this strike. Though, Abdul Karim Abdul Hamid Al-Arran was also reported killed on November 24th in Hajeen (see RS2753) and Euphrates Post reported that both were killed in the “Sayyal -all-Shaafah crossing”. However, VDC referred to the “Hasarat Shaafa Crossing” in its reporing about the two men’s deaths.

However, as of now, a total of 18 civilians have been reported killed in this event.

Sources also reported that between 20 and “dozens” were left wounded, the highest reported by Step News Agency.

All known reports, who identified a culprit, pointed unanimously to Russian warplanes.

The incident occured at approximately 2:00 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

the son of Hussein Al-Ali Al-A’jmi
Age unknown male killed
the daughter of Hussein Ali A’jami
Age unknown female killed

Family members (2)

The wife of Balhous the Qurain
Age unknown female killed
Ibn Hamoud Al - Hamidah Al - Qurain
Age unknown male killed

Family members (3)

Son of Awad al Taheer abu Mohammad
Age unknown male killed
Son of Awad al Taheer abu Mohammad
Age unknown male killed
Hamoudi
Age unknown male possibly son of Awad al Taheer abu Mohammad killed

The victims were named as:

Dr. Shuja’ al- Zarzour
Adult male killed
Saad Samir Al-Hamoud
Adult male killed
Khaled Al-Hameel Al-Zai’n
Adult male killed
The son of Shehata from al Malali
Age unknown male killed
Juma’a Murshad R Al Zai’n
Age unknown male
Saleh Juri al-Maa'dah
Age unknown male killed from his wounds killed
Nuri Wayyas El Sheikou
Adult male killed
Khalid Ramadan Al-Ja'alout
Age unknown male killed
Nasser Shehata al-Malaly
Age unknown male killed
Wife of Ali al - Zuait
Age unknown female killed
Abd al-Kareem Abd al-Hameed al-Aran
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 17
  • (2 children4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    20–24
  • 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 (21) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Khaled al-Hamel al-Zain, one of the victims of the alleged Russian shelling of Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, November 23rd, 2017 (via Euphrates Post)
  • Saad Musallam Al-Hamoud, one of the victims of the alleged Russian shelling of Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, November 23rd, 2017 (via Mari al Bukamal)
  • Dr. Shuja’ al- Zarzour, one of the victims of thealleged Russian shelling of Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, November 23rd, 2017 (via Mari al Bukamal)
  • Nuri Wayyas El Sheikou, one of the victims of the alleged Russian shelling of Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, November 23rd, 2017 (via Euphrates Post)
  • Abd al-Kareem Abd al-Hameed al-Aran, one of the victims of the alleged Russian shelling of Hasrat, Deir Ezzor, November 23rd, 2017 (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 November 4th - 20th 2017.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 17
  • (2 children4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    20–24
  • 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 (21) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2749

Incident date

November 23, 2017

Location

الجرذي, al-Jarthi, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.886667, 40.606111 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to five civilians including one child and two women were killed and many were left wounded as Russian or Assad warplanes struck al-Jarthi, Deir Ezzor, possibly supplemented by artillery shelling, local media reported.

Reports spanned from three to five civilian fatalities.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SN4HR) reported that one girl and two women from the same family were killed, blaming Syrian regime artillery” for their deaths.

The remaining sources reported five civilian fatalities, though all mentioned that two women – the wives of a Eid al-Fahmi – and his child were killed.

Moreover, one female IDP from the village of Abu Hardub and a man identified as “the son of  Mohammed Al Dahsh” were among the fatalities, as reported by for example DeirEzzor24.

DeirEzzor24 also reported that many civilians were left wounded.

Both SN4HR and DeirEzzor24 blamed the Syrian regime, though SN4HR blamed Assad artillery and not airstrikes like DeirEzzor24. Meanwhile Euphrates Post and al-Raya identified Russia as responsible.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Wife of Eid al-Fahmi
Age unknown female killed
Wife of Eid al-Fahmi
Age unknown female killed
Daughter of Eid al-Fahmi
Child female killed

The victims were named as:

Mohammed Al Dahsh
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 5
  • (1 child2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–8
  • 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]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Image published in association with reports about shelling on November 23rd, 2017 in Deir Ezzor, including al-Jarthi, though the exact location of this image is not clear (via DeirEzzor24)

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 November 4th - 20th 2017.

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 child2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–8
  • 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

RS2747

Incident date

November 22, 2017

Location

صحيان, Sahiyan, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.700000, 36.700000 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In this single-source event, Smart News Agency, reported that three civilians were left slightly wounded as an aircraft, “likely to be Russian”, carried out air raids on the highway in the town of Sihan, south of Idlib. The strikes reportedly struck a highway restaurant.

Currently, there are no further details available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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

Russia has not reported any strikes between November 4th - 20th 2017.


Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1679 IRS001

Incident date

November 20, 2017

Location

القريا, Al Quoriya, Deir ez-Zor, Syria

Geolocation

34.96, 40.55 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians were reportedly killed by a drone strike in al Qouriya, local media said, though neither source has said who was responsible.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “two men were killed and another was wounded after being targeted by a drone in the al-Quriyah area”.

Sharqiya Voice provided some more detail, naming the victims as Abdul Rahman Al Ali Al Aboud and Ali Abdul Rahman Al Aboud, and said that they “were targeted by an unmanned drone after they lost their way and approached the front line of IS in the city of Qouriya”. It added that “Hamid Al-Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Sayel was injured in the eyes”.

The United States, UK and Iran all operate armed drones above Syria.

Eabirsabil published two videos on YouTube showing ” the signs of the destruction following unprecedented raids on the town”. Meanwhile, Al Araby TV and Smart confirmed that the regime had control of al Qouriya – suggesting that any strike may have been linked to regime or Russian aircraft.

On December 11th, 2019, SHRC  reported that  Ibrahim Mamoun Al-Qaitum, a child, has died of injuries in the shelling of Qah camp.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Abdul Rahman Al Ali Al Aboud
male killed
Ali Abdul Rahman Al Aboud
male killed

The victims were named as:

Hamid Al-Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Sayel
Age unknown male injured
Ibrahim Mamoun Al-Qaitum
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • 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
    US-led Coalition, Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Qurayya (القريا), for which the coordinates are: 34.96, 40.55

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For November 19th-20th the Coalition publicly reported no strikes in Syria.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None

Civilian casualty statements

Syrian Regime
  • Oct 26, 2018

  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Iranian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • 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
    US-led Coalition, Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2745

Incident date

November 20, 2017

Location

السوسة السوسة, al Soussa, Abu Kamal, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.528889, 40.9675 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Step News Agency reported that “many civilians were wounded to varying degrees” by alleged Russian strikes on al Soussa.

According to Euphrates Post on November 20th, there was “Intense displacement of people in the towns of al-Baghouz, al-Safafna, al-Marashda and al-Soussa in the Albukamal countryside due to the continuous aerial and artillery shelling around the clock.”

No further details are currently available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5–10
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5–10
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]