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

Incident Code

CS1173 RS2327

Incident date

July 8, 2017

Location

الموحسن, Muhassan, Deir ez-Zor, Syria

Geolocation

35.2257487, 40.3109038 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One woman possibly died in an airstrike on Mohsen village, according to local media – though it’s currently unclear who was responsible for her death.

None of the sources specifically blamed the Coalition, with many referring only to “warplanes” carrying out strikes on the Al-Zaeem roundabout and the perimeter of Al-Wasat School.

However, Tt1463000 said that regime jets were responsible for the victim’s death. According to Step, the victim was injured and not killed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that it had “not been identified whether they were Russian warplanes or regime’s warplanes”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Khairiya Al-Humaidat
Adult female killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • 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
    US-led Coalition, Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (9) [ collapse]

CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

Attached to this civilian harm incident is a provisional reconciliation of the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, based on matching date and locational information.

The declassified documents were obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, and are included alongside the corresponding press release published by the Pentagon. Airwars is currently analysing the contents of each file, and will update our own assessments accordingly.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition 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
  • Stated location
    near Mohsen, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 31, 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.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For July 8th-9th: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed 11 ISIS oil stills, three oil still tanks, three oil tankers, an oil separator tank, a well-head, and a pump jack.”

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

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • 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
    US-led Coalition, Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2328

Incident date

July 8, 2017

Location

الشميطية, Al-Shmetiya, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.4710166, 39.9351239 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Alleged Russian-waged airstrikes killed one child and wounded two of his family members in al-Shmetiya village in Deir Ezzor, local media reported.

Deir Ezzor 24’s correspondent reported that “a child was killed as a result of the night bombardment of the town of al-Shmetiya, west of Deir Ezzor, yesterday evening [July 8th], in addition to wounding others.”

Only one source identified the culprit. Smart News Agency cited an activist, Mohammed Hassan, who said that the warplanes “are likely to the Russian air force”. The remaining sources only referred to “warplanes”.

The incident occured during the night.

The victims were named as:

Age unknown male From al-Tabaqa killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (3) [ 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 June 1st - 31st 2017.

Unknown Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2329

Incident date

July 9, 2017

Location

موحسن, Mohsen, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.2257487, 40.3109038 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In this single-source event, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “Russian or regime warplanes” carried out airstrikes in Mohsen on July 9th, killing a woman and wounding “others”.

Currently, there are no further details available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

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

Sources (1) [ 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 June 1st - 31st 2017.

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
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2330

Incident date

July 11, 2017

Location

الجابرية, Jabriya, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

34.7988165, 36.8560061 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two sources reported that nine civilians were killed and another six were wounded as a bakery in Jabriya village, Hama, was hit by airstrikes. Smart News Agency identified Russia as the likely culprit while al-Araby did not appoint blame, merely referring to “a military aircraft”.

Both sources said that five of the victims were working in the bakery while the remaining four were customers.

However, two other sources, RFSmediaOffice1 and @ghaith82, denied that the incident had taken place. Both reported that “there is no truth to the news published by some media organizations about the massacre in the village of Jabriya”.

Currently, there are no further details available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9
  • Civilians reported injured
    6
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • 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

Russia has not reported any strikes between July 1st - 31st 2017.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9
  • Civilians reported injured
    6
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2331

Incident date

July 11, 2017

Location

الحميدية, Hamediya, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.3301466, 40.1456308 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to five civilians, hereof at least one girl and her father, were killed, and up to 24 were wounded following Russian or Assad-waged airstrikes in residential areas in Hamidiya neighbourhood, near Deir Ezzor, local media reported. It was, however, unclear whether the strike took place July 11th or 12th.

The incident was first reported on July 11th. A Euphrates Post report of July 11th said that the strikes took place “a short while ago”. But many other sources reported on the 13th that the incident took place “yesterday” (the 12th).

Nonetheless, most sources reported the death of one man and his young daughter, both identified by name and photo. A few sources, however, only reported the death of the father.

According to the Smart News Agency five civilians died and dozens more were wounded:  “Activists said on their Facebook accounts that the warplanes bombed civilian homes in the neighbourhood of Hamidiya (2 km south of the city centre), killing five civilians and wounding dozens, including critical cases”.

Sources were also unclear as to who carried out the strikes. Violations Documentation Centre (VDC) and Syrian Network for Human Rights (SN4HR) pointed at the Syrian regime, while others, including Freedierazourradio and Euphrates Post identified Russia as the culprit.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Adult male killed
Child female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 5
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–24
  • 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]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Jamal al-Jaweesh was reportedly killed by the contested airstrikes in Hamediya, Deir Ezzor, July 11th, 2017 (via Freedierazourradio)
  • Maryam Jamal ِAl Jawish, daughter of Jamal al-Jaweesh was reportedly also killed by the contested airstrikes in Hamediya, Deir Ezzor, July 11th, 2017 (via Freedierazourradio)

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 July 1st - 31st 2017.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 5
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–24
  • 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

RS2334

Incident date

July 13, 2017

Location

حماد عمر , Hammad Omar, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were killed and a young man injured in alleged Russian air strikes on the town of Hammad Omar, east of Hama, according to local reports.

Alaraby reported that the raids occurred during battles between regime forces and ISIS.

An opposition media activist told the Syria Newsdesk that the area was targeted “with more than 70 raids a day, using rocket-propelled grenades and targeted rockets.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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

RS2335

Incident date

July 13, 2017

Location

المكيمين , Al-Mkimin, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.129444, 37.415278 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two children were killed in an alleged Russian bombardment on the village of Al-Mkimin, local media reported.

Hisham Sarhan Hisham Al Zubin was also reported dead by his cousin. Four others were wounded.

Syria Newsdesk said the the bombing came after the regime forces failed to win back villages under the control of Daesh, “despite more than a thousand raid and thousands of rockets and artillery.”

“More than 30 houses have been totally destroyed in the past two days,” its source said.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (2 children1 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 (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Hisham Sarhan Hisham Al Zubin, killed in a strike on Al Makimin village, Julyt 13th (via Mohannad Al Terkawi)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (2 children1 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 (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2333

Incident date

July 13, 2017

Location

مراط,, Mrat, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.31407, 40.23865 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Al Hassaka Rasd reported: “The Russian air force targets with several air raids the vicinity of Deir Ezzor military airport, brigade 137, the cemetery area and the town of Mrat Foukani”.

Other sources mentioned an unspecified number of wounded civilians but didn’t identify who carried out the strikes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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 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

Russia has not reported any strikes between July 1st - 31st 2017.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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 attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]