Russian Military in Syria

In September 2015 Russian military forces intervened in Syria initially as part of a limited campaign against so-called Islamic State terrorists. This campaign turned into more substantive military support to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in his deadly fight with opposition groups, killing thousands of civilians in rebel-held areas. Operations came to an end with Assad’s fall in December 2024.

Airwars documented thousands of allegations of civilian harm from Russian strikes in Syria and produced research and reports on the conflict.

Airwars estimate of civilian deaths

4,431 – 6,522

Locally reported civilian deaths from declared or likely Russian Military actions in Syria for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Fair, or have been Confirmed by the Russian Military. These originate from 4,977 separate alleged incidents.

1,174 – 1,440
children likely killed
647 – 782
women likely killed
6,672
likely injured
3,500
named victims

Russian Military estimate of civilian deaths

0

Confirmed civilian deaths, from Russian Military actions in Syria, originating from 0 separate incidents of civilian harm.

civilians confirmed injured
Alleged deaths
15,841 – 25,260
Locally reported civilian deaths from Russian Military actions in Syria.
4,977 seperate alleged incidents
Confirmed or Fair
4,431 – 6,522
Civilian deaths for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Fair, or have been Confirmed by Russian Military
1,380 seperate alleged incidents
Weak
739 – 861
Civilian deaths for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Weak.
466 seperate alleged incidents
Contested
10,557 – 17,748
Civilian deaths for which the reporting is assessed by Airwars as Contested.
3,115 seperate alleged incidents
Discounted
114 – 129
Civilian deaths were Discounted by Airwars after assessment.
16 seperate alleged incidents
4942 incidents
Order results by:
Incident DatePublication Date

Incident Date

12 March 2017

Incident Code

RS1956

Location

قريتي دالية وسوحا, Suha and Abu Dalia villages, Hama, Syria
Between two and three civilians were killed, including a woman, and as many as "dozens" more were injured following an alleged Russian raid on the villages of Suha and Abu Dalia, local media said. @B_ALHAMAWI was the only source to blame Russian warplanes; the other sources do not attribute any blame. According to @HalabTodayTV, two raids that…

Summary

Published
12 March 2017
Civilians reported killed
2–3
Civilians reported injured
2–24
Military Actor
Russian Military
View Incident

Incident Date

11 March 2017

Incident Code

RS1953

Location

دارة عزة, Daarat Izza, Aleppo, Syria
Up to nine civilians were injured following an alleged Russian cluster bomb attack on the residential neighbourhood of Daarat Izza, Aleppo, local media reported. All sources have either blamed Russia for the raids or not attributed any blame for the strikes.  According to sources, 2 of the injured civilians were children and only one had a…

Summary

Published
11 March 2017
Civilians reported injured
9
Military Actor
Russian Military
View Incident

Incident Date

11 March 2017

Incident Code

RS1951

Location

رسم سبعة, Rasim Saba'a, Homs, Syria
A single source reported that a woman and a child were killed following Russian warplane raids. Two civilians were wounded and a heard of 20 sheep were also killed. There are no other details at this time.

Summary

Published
11 March 2017
Civilians reported killed
2
Civilians reported injured
2
Military Actor
Russian Military
View Incident

Incident Date

11 March 2017

Incident Codes

CS569 RS1952

Location

مسكنة, Maskanah, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria
Between eight and ten civilians died and up to 16 others were wounded in an airstrike on Maskana, according to local sources – though field reports were conflicted as to whether this was the work of the Coalition, the Syrian regime or Russia. The Coalition later denied involvement. Syria News said that “According to activists,…

Summary

Published
11 March 2017
Civilians reported killed
8–10
Civilians reported injured
14–16
Military Actor
Russian Military, U.S.-led Coalition
View Incident

Incident Date

10 March 2017

Incident Code

RS1949

Location

القاسمية, Al Qassmiya, Aleppo , Aleppo, Syria
One five-year-old girl was killed, and two others were wounded, following an airstrike on a warehouse in Al Qassmiya, Aleppo, local media reported. All sources either attributed blame to Russia, or did not blame any belligerent. A vehicle was also hit in the shelling and caused a fire. Images show members of the Civil Defence putting…

Summary

Published
10 March 2017
Civilians reported killed
1
Civilians reported injured
2
Military Actor
Russian Military
View Incident

Incident Date

10 March 2017

Incident Code

RS1950

Location

اسطبلات, Istablat, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria
Civilians were killed and wounded following an alleged air and artillery strike on Istablat, Aleppo. The White Helmets reported that three injured civilians were rescued from the rubble, while no specific numbers of civilian deaths were reported. Despite this, all sources mention that civilians were killed in this raid. Additionally, sources were conflicted as to who…

Summary

Published
10 March 2017
Civilians reported killed
2
Civilians reported injured
3
Military Actor
Russian Military
View Incident