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

R4439

Incident date

February 21, 2022

Location

جسر الشغور, Jisr Al Shughur, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.81425, 36.319812 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three children were injured by an unexploded ordinance belonging to Russian or regime forces on February 21, 2022.

According to Baladi News, three children were seriously injured when an unexploded ordnance from a previous bombing by regime and Russian forces exploded in the city of Jisr Al Shughur. All other sources reported similar details about the vicitims. No additional information is currently available.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the original bombing, with @Almohrar1 blaming Russian forces while Syrian Civil Defense attributed the previous bombing to the regime and Russia.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Planted explosives and unexploded ordnance (UXO)
  • 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]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Jisr Al Shughur (جِسْرُ ٱلشُّغُورِ), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.81425, 36.319812. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Planted explosives and unexploded ordnance (UXO)
  • 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

R4468

Incident date

September 8, 2022

Location

ديرسنبل, Deirsnbul, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

One woman was wounded by reported artillery shelling as a result of either Russian or Syrian regime forces on Deir Sunbal village, south of Idlib, on September 8th 2022.

Apparently the villages of Benin and Shanan were also bombed but there were no injuries reported.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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

R4501

Incident date

January 28, 2023

Location

عين عيسى, Ain Issa, Raqqa, Syria

Airwars assessment

A 15 year old child was injured by an alleged Russian military vehicle in the city of Ain Issa in Raqqa on January 28, 2023.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a 15 year old child was seriously injured when a Russian military vehicle ran the child over on the Main Street in the center of Ain Issa. SOHR added that the injured child was first transferred to the “Martyr Omar Alloush” hospital for treatment, and then was later transferred to the city of Raqqa.

Euphrates Post added that the name of the child is Dijwar Mahmoud.

All of the sources that reported on the incident identified the vehicle as belonging to Russian forces. @ANFArabicNews added that the vehicle tried to flee but it was prevented from it by local people.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Dijwar Mahmoud دجوار محمود
15 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Accidents related to conflict
  • 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 (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Graphic image of child injured when he was run over by alleged Russian vehicle on January 28, 2023. (Image posted by @khaleedalkhteb)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Accidents related to conflict
  • 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

RS3581

Incident date

January 26, 2019

Location

كفرزيتا, Kafr Zeita, Hama , Syria

Airwars assessment

Artillery shelling reportedly struck a residential neighborhood in Kafr Zeita on the  evening of January 26th and wounded a 40-year-old man who was transferred to a nearby medical point. According to some sources, another unidentified civilian was wounded.

All sources blamed the Russian forces, except one local source who blamed the Syrian regime.

The incident occured around midnight.

The victims were named as:

Mou’az Hamwiya معاذ الحموية
40 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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 (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Aftermath of alleged Russian airstrike on Kafar Zeita (via Syrian Civil Defense).
  • Area in Kafar Zeita alleged targeted by a Russian airstrike (via Syrian Civil Defense).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian airstrike on Kafar Zeita (via Syrian Civil Defense).

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
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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 (10) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4539

Incident date

August 16, 2023

Location

Maaret Al Nassan, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

On August 16th, 2023, at least one civilian was injured in shelling allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime and/or Russian forces in the Syrian village of Maarat Al-Nassan.

The Syrian Civil Defense (@SyriaCivilDefe) reported that a civilian was injured by artillery shelling carried out by the Syrian regime and Russian forces, adding that their volunteers inspected the bombing location and made sure no one else was injured.

However, a military source told North Press that “Damascus government forces targeted with heavy artillery shells and missiles sites in the town of Maarat al-Naasan, east of Idlib, which resulted in the injury of two people of varying severity.” Qasioun News stated that one civilian was injured during a bombing with artillery and rocket launchers, and another civilian was injured in the afternoon by continued shelling of civilian homes. The source added that the second injured civilian was transferred to a medical point for treatment.

Sources were conflicted as to whether the Syrian regime or Russian forces were responsible, with the majority of sources attributing the shelling to the Syrian regime while the Syrian Civil Defense blamed both Russian forces and the Syrian regime.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Civil Defense volunteers respond to alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling of Maaret Al Nassan on August 16, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • The effects of artillery shelling by the gangs of regime, on residential neighborhoods in the town of Maarat Al-Naasan in the northern countryside of Idlib

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 status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4559

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the night of September 23, 2023, in Sarmin, Idlib, an incident with contested responsibility—reportedly either by Syrian regime forces or the Russian military—struck an agricultural area, injuring a civilian man, which was confirmed by multiple sources including the White Helmets organization.

The civilian injured was reportedly a farmer who was picking figs in a residential area, when the projectiles struck. The strike was attributed to have been from the Syrian regime or the Russian military. It is contested whether it was a rocket bombing, missile strike, or artillery shelling by different local news sources on Twitter. The White Helmets of the Syrian Civil Defense were photographed helping the injured civilian, and they reported his injuries as minor superficial injuries and followed up with him. However, @AsharqNewsSYR identified the farmer’s injuries as “serious”.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Binnish888

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 infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2603

Incident date

October 6, 2017

Location

الخوين, Al-khawein village, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.478114, 36.83559 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

An unspecified number of civilians were wounded during a raid on Al-khawein. There were no reports of civilian deaths.

Local media was conflicted as  to who was to blame, with only one source attributing blame to Russian warplanes, while the rest either blamed Syrian regime warplanes, or did not attribute any blame.

Step News Agency tweeted that “military aircraft launched several air raids targeting the city of Khan Sheikun and the villages of Al Khwain and Tal Hogar and Umm Al-Khalakhil, resulting in injuries”.

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • 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 (5) [ 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

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • 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 (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS011

Incident date

October 2, 2015

Location

اللطامنة, Al-Latamnah, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.3219885, 36.6234398 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

An alleged Russian airstrike on a field hospital at Al-Latamnah resulted in injuries to a number of medics and severe damage to the building, according to the Syrian Observatory.

Although the Syrian Network for Human Rights described the attack as the work of the Syrian regime, the Russian MoD has confirmed a number of airstrikes on the city that day.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • 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 attackers
    Unknown, Syrian Regime

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Al Latamnah (اللطامنة‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.3219885, 36.6234398. 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 Kremlin confirmed a number of attacks on Latamnah for October 2nd-3rd 2015, noting: “In Al-Latamna district (Hamah), Su-34 bombers equipped with guided air bombs blew up a militants’ underground HQ. The command centre and its ground facilities are destroyed according to the objective monitoring data. Moreover, Su-25 aircraft engaged two bunkers at the same district. There were situated command centres of militant units and depots of terrorists. Munitions of one of the depots detonated and caused their total destruction.”

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
    0
  • 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 attackers
    Unknown, Syrian Regime

Sources (4) [ collapse]