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

RS2208

Incident date

May 1, 2017

Location

الطيبة, al-Tayba, Homs, Syria

Geolocation

35.08895, 38.91597 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In this single-source event, Smart News Agency reported that warplanes, likely to be Russian, carried out air raids “on the vicinity of the village of Taybeh (…), killing two civilians, wounding three others, in addition to the death of livestock.”

Currently, no further information is available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • 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

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • 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

RS2207A

Incident date

May 1, 2017

Location

جبل ابو الظهور , Abo Al Zohour mountain, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.738569, 37.048087 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In this single-source event, Smart News Agency reported that airstrikes, likely to be Russian, hit the mountain of Abu al Dhouhour in Idlib, wounding six civilians, including children and women.

There is currently no further information available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    6
  • 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

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    6
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2207

Incident date

May 1, 2017

Location

جبل شاعر, Jabal Sha'er, Homs, Syria

Geolocation

34.924271, 37.954167 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Alleged Russian warplanes carried out air raids in Jabal Shaer, a mountain area near Homs, and wounded several civilians, local media reported.

According to @fawaaaa4, Russian airstrikes allegedly hit “the mountains of Shaer and Jazel”. This source who also added that the strikes had hit Beduin communities.

Both sources mentioned that the raids had caused several wounded.

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
    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

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

Summary

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

Incident Code

RS2206

Incident date

May 1, 2017

Location

عربين, Arbin, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.538143, 36.364331 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One civilian was killed and up to seven were wounded in alleged Russian or Assad regime airstrikes on Arbin, Damascus, according to sources on the ground.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “a warplane targeted areas in Arbin city in the Eastern Ghouta consecutively with four missiles. This was followed by with 20 rocket shells by the regime forces on areas in the same city, which caused the injury of seven people, some of whom were seriously wounded”.

Additionally, several sources reported that the strikes inflicted great damage on the hospital in Arbin. Accompanying images depicted significant destruction.

Two sources, @HalabTodayTV and @arbeenfreedoom, reported the death of one named civilian man.

The number of wounded spanned from a couple to “dozens”. The Syrian Civil Defence added that women and children were among the wounded.

Sources were unclear as to whether to attribute the incident to Russia, the Syrian regime, or both.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via Erbenhospital)
  • Aerial shelling of Arbin, Damascus, carried out by either Russia or the Syrian regime on May 1st, 2017 (via Zamanalwasl)
  • Footage of the immediate, chaotic aftermath in Arbin, Damascus, after residential areas were hit by the contested airstrikes on May 1st, 2017 (via @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • One of the wounded of the contested airstrikes in Arbin, Damascus, May 1st, 2017 (via @msallam19)
  • Aftermath of the contested airstrikes that struck the local hospital in Arbin, Damascus, on May 1st, 2017 (via @Mamoun_sy)
  • A little girl was among the wounded caused by the contested airstrikes targeting Arbin, Damascus, May 1st, 2017 (via SN4HR)

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 May 1st - 31st 2017.

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
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS759 RS2209

Incident date

April 30, 2017

Location

عويجل, Oweijal, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.179537, 36.952987 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 13 and 16 civilians died and four were injured in an “unexplained” explosion in the village of Oweijal, local media said – though it was unclear whether the Coalition, the Syrian regime or Russia were to blame. Most sources blamed the Syrian regime for the strikes.

An unspecific numbers of civilians were wounded, however it was reported that the number of civilians were likely to rise due to the types of injuries.

According to the Smart News Agency, “the head of the Civil Defence in the western Aleppo countryside, Mohamed Halaq, said that the blast caused the collapse of a three-storey building on Sunday evening, killing 16 civilians, including nine children and four women, in addition to wounding for more, who rushed to a nearby field hospital.

“Halaq pointed out that they could not determine the cause of the explosion, but that it was likely the result of an international coalition raid or a missile explosion from a previous bombardment of the village.”

However, a subsequent report by Smart pointed towards the Assad regime and Russia, saying that “the Civil Defence thinks the explosion could have resulted from the remnants of previous raids by the regime and Russia.”

Radio Allkul blamed a regime surface to surface missile citing Abu al-Leith, the director of the local Civil Defence. Shaam News Network and Baladi also attributed the event to the regime.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added that “information about the reasons of the explosion was conflicted as to whether it was caused by the explosion of an ammunition dump, or by shelling by regime forces using what was believed to be a ground-to-ground missile.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13 – 16
  • (4–9 children4–5 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–4
  • 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

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The body of a victim is pulled from the rubble in the aftermath of an airstrike on Oweijel, 30th April 2017. (via Syrian Civil Defense)
  • The aftermath of an airstrike on Oweijel, 30th April 2017. (via Shaam)
  • The aftermath of an airstrike on Oweijel, 30th April 2017. (via Halabtoday)
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
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

The Coalition has not publicly reported any strikes in Aleppo governorate for April 30th-May 2nd.

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
    13 – 16
  • (4–9 children4–5 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–4
  • 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

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2203

Incident date

April 30, 2017

Location

عقيربات, Akeirbat, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.0412099, 37.464692 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians, including two women and a child, were killed in alleged Russian airstrikes, local media reported.

Bombs hit tents of displaced people on the outskirts of the town under Islamic State control, according to Smart News Agency. An additional four civilians were wounded, some critically.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 child2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • 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

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 child2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2202

Incident date

April 30, 2017

Location

السخنة, Al-Sokhna , Homs, Syria

Geolocation

34.8848748, 38.8711739 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A shepherd died and several other civilians were wounded in the an alleged Russian bombardment on Al-Sokhna in eastern Homs, Step News reported.

It was among several airstrikes that hit the surrounded area.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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

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

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2200

Incident date

April 29, 2017

Location

كفرزيتا , Kafr Zita, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.3747033, 36.5923691 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to nine civilians including eight members of the civil defense died in alleged Russian and Syrian regime airstrikes in an “unprecedented bombing campaign” on Kafr Zita, according to local media.

Eight of the victims were killed in a strike on a civil defense shelter, including Hassan Hammoud Arfat, a paramedic and Ahmad Nayef al Hussein, a media activist. A number of civilians were wounded.

Activists in the city called it an “unprecedented bombing campaign”, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing all day. As well as the Civil Defense Centre, mosques and residential neighborhoods were strucknwith cluster bombs and high-explosive rockets.

The city’s hospital was struck again for the second consecutive day. Sources told Smart News Agency that the radiation and emergency centers were destroyed, putting the hospital out of service permanently.

Medical staff were injured including Mazen Al-A’raj, the hospital’s administrative director and brother of one of those killed.

The hospital’s Director of Information claimed the Russian warplanes belonged to Hmeimim air base.

A military source told Al Khaleej that the airstrikes were retaliation for the large losses the regime and its supporters suffered in previous weeks.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male 'civil defence' killed
Adult male 'civil defence' killed
Adult male 'media activist' killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 9
  • 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 (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]

  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on the hospital in Kafr Zita, April 29th 2017 (via Baladi)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on the hospital in Kafr Zita, April 29th 2017 (via Baladi)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on the hospital in Kafr Zita, April 29th 2017 (via Baladi)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on the hospital in Kafr Zita, April 29th 2017 (via Baladi)
  • Members of the White Helmets killed in an alleged Russian airstrike on Karf Zita, April 29th 2017 (via Aksalser )
  • Translation: 'Russian Air Force bombed the Civil Defense Center in Kfar Zeita, in the countryside of Hama and killed 8 volunteers. Russia carried out a systematic and intensive bombing campaign against hospitals and civil defense.'
  • Translation: 'Hospital # Kafrzita countryside# Hama was completely destroyed after being targeted for the second day in a row by Russian aviation.'
  • 'Ahmad Nayef al Hussein, media activist, from al Zakat village in Hama governorate northern suburbs, killed in Syrian-Russian alliance warplanes missiles fired on Kafr Zita in Hama governorate northern suburbs, April 29, 2017.' (via SN4HR)
  • 'Hasan Hamoud Arafat, born in 1988, ambulance driver from Kafr Zita city in Hama governorate northern suburbs, killed in Syrian-Russian alliance warplanes missiles fired on the vicinity of Center 107 of the Civil Defense in Kafr Zita city as he was heading with the emergency teams to evacuate victims of earlier shelling on the center, April 29, 2017.' (via SN4HR)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on Kafr Zita, April 29th (via Step)

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
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 9
  • 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 (20) [ collapse]