Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces told about the results of operation held by Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria
Since September 30, the Russian air group in Syria has performed 5240 combat sorties including 145 ones of the strategic missile-carrying and long-range bomber aviation. Every day the Russian Aerospace Forces make missile and bomb strikes on main infrastructural facilities, strong points, concentrations of terrorists’ military hardware and manpower.
A multilevel system which provides reliable detection of militants’ targets has been created for these purposes.
Moreover, the Russian Defence Ministry is in constant contact with the Command of the Syrian governmental forces and detachments of patriotic opposition. They regularly provide additional data on newly uncovered objects of terrorists.
After the additional reconnaissance, a decision is made to attack the targets from the air. That significantly increases the effectiveness of militants’ target engagement.
Thus, just on the previous day, 189 strikes were made against facilities of illegal armed groupings, among them – 142 are the scheduled ones, the others are newly detected during duty mission.
Under the conditions of rapidly changing situation, the combat task performance during the duty mission is the most effective one as it does not allow terrorists to escape from the strikes.
Supported by the Russian aviation, the governmental forces as well as detachments of patriotic opposition continue offensive operations against illegal armed groups at all directions. The greatest success has been achieved in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia and in the suburbs of Damascus.
In the Aleppo province, the governmental forces continue extending the security zone around the Kwaires airfield developing offensive in the south-west direction to Idlib.
For the last week, 5 settlements have been liberated.
In Latakia province, assault groups of the Syrian army conducted offensive operations in the northern and eastern directions.
At the Kobani and Sirmania directions, important heights and Kepir settlement were protected from militants.
The key Jebel Noba height is put under control for development of the offensive.
In the suburbs of Damascus, the governmental forces put under control the Marj al-Sultan settlement continuing raids and tightening the encirclement of the illegal armed groups at the directions of Nashabia, Nula, Duma, Zibdin.
At other directions, the Syrian troops carry out activities aimed to stabilize the situation and are getting ready for resumption of the offensive.
Undermining of terrorists’ income sources in Syria remains the main priority of the Russian aviation.
As it can be seen, oil trucks continue crossing the Syrian-Turkish border.
The Defence Ministry analyzed reports of the foreign media, comments of experts and spokesmen, which had been made after disclosure of information concerning routes of trafficking of oil produced by the ISIS.
It is to be mentioned that information about destination and methods of oil trafficking did not become a revelation for most media agencies. Presented photo and video evidence by the defence department just proved suppositions and versions concerning the fact who had been covering up the illegal income of terrorists.
In the course of the last week, 37 oil production and refinery facilities of terrorists as well as 17 columns of oil trucks have been eliminated.
In total, since the beginning of the operation held by the Russian Aerospace Forces, approximately 2,000 such oil trucks have been destroyed in Syria.
It is to be reminded that the Russian aviation is performing military operations on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic according to the invitation of the country’s leadership respecting all the rules of the international law.
Terrorists know it as well. They are changing logistics scheme laying new crude oil trafficking routes in order to escape from strikes of the Russian aviation.
One of the routes is demonstrated on the slide. The route leads from the Deir ez-Zor province, which is controlled by the ISIS, through Guna and Tel Sfuk (Syria) in direction to Mosul and Zakho on the territory of Iraq.
Truck columns move to the Syrian-Iraqi borderline by shortest way and cross it near Tel Sfuk.
However, despite a long way round, Turkey remains the destination point of oil trafficking. The oil is transferred to the Turkish territory through Zakho checkpoint. There scheme shows that this route coincides with the so-called “Eastern” route, which had been demonstrated during previous meeting.
The reconnaissance check of the assigned regions has been conducted.
In accordance to the order of the President of the Russian Federation, which had been made during the annual media conference, the Defence Ministry is demonstrating its results.
Near Zakho, by the time this photograph was made, there had been 11,775 oil trucks and heavy vehicles on both sides of the Turkish-Iraqi borderline. 4,530 of them were in Turkey, 7 245 – in Iraq.
These are enlarged photos of the region.
In area A, there are 3,850 oil trucks and heavy vehicles at the Turkish border side. 200 of them are moving in direction to the Iraqi border. The rest are concentrated in the standby areas.
In area B, in close vicinity to the borderline, 1660 oil trucks are observed. 980 trucks are in the territory of Iraq, 680 ones are on the Turkish side.
There are 4,905 and 1,360 tanker trucks in areas C and D respectively. They are waiting for crossing the borderline.
It is to be mentioned that oil, which has been produced in Iraq and Syria, is transferred through this checkpoint.
“Northern” and “Western” routes, which had been demonstrated earlier, are still being used. In order to avoid losses caused by the Russian aviation, terrorists are moving along the routes mainly at nighttime. Oil tankers are disguised as usual trucks and are moving in small columns.
Previously, the defence department had demonstrated large concentrations of trucks in oil production areas. Now, as it can be seen at the photo, there is a limited number of oil trucks being loaded. The rest of them are dispersed and arrive the oil plants by small batches.
According to space intelligence data, significant decrease in the number of tanker trucks, which are moving along the “Northern” route in direction of oil refinery in Batman, is observed.
The similar situation is observed at the “Western” route at the direction Reyhanli – Iskanderun. The number of oil trucks has been reduced by up to 265.
At the same time increase of the number of oil trucks near the Turkish port Dortyol by up to 920 is observed.
There is no doubt that income from any sort of trafficking is aimed to finance ISIS, and any country, which takes part in this illegal business, is an accomplice of the international terrorism.
The Russian Defence Ministry expects that the representatives of the international coalition would take into account the presented information and take steps aimed to eliminating terrorists’ objects.
The Russian party is ready to present coordinates of the ISIS objects to the partners and is looking forward to getting information from them either.
The Defence Ministry assures that the Russian aviation will continue performing strikes on terrorists.