Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war" in English language version.
Last January, Idlib sank into a "rebel civil war" as fighting broke out between Jabhat al-Nusra and the Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham, a militia in the Syrian north that boasts of a powerbase of at least 20,000 fighters.
HTS and Ahrar al-Sham are the most militarily powerful, with the former likely commanding 12,000 to 14,000 fighters and the latter closer to 18,000 to 20,000.
The VKS flew more than 9,000 sorties using precision weapons, with targets including energy infrastructure, weapons and supply routes. Russian bombers assisted in reclaiming 400 settlements and 10,000 square kilometers of Syrian territory. Furthermore, Russian aircraft destroyed 209 Syrian oil facilities and over 2,000 means of delivery of petroleum products.
U.S. security officials and independent experts told Reuters last week that Moscow had increased its forces in Syria to 4,000 personnel from an estimated 2,000. A U.S. defense official said multiple rocket-launcher crews and long-range artillery batteries were deployed outside four bases the Russians were using.
L. Ivashov: – If Russia did not engage in Syria and support the Assad regime, our budget would face the most severe difficulties by now. Three pipelines are competing there. Qatar has just discovered one of the largest gas resources: 51 trillions 50 billions of condensate. The first pipeline they attempted to lay was to Europe, through Syria and Turkey, where Turkey would become the operator. B. Nadezhdin: – So we entered the Syrian conflict to ensure demand for Gazprom? L. Ivashov: – Yes, for our survival.
It is noteworthy that the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in 2017 that there are about 6,000 military personnel, noting that this number does not include the Russian police forces that were established by decree of President Vladimir Putin in 2015, while the real number of Russian military personnel in Syria exceeded 20,000 fighters and military advisers affiliated with of land, air and sea forces.
Overnight [after its January 2017 expansion], Ahrar al-Sham had gained approximately 8,000 additional fighters to supplement its already large membership of 12,000.
It is noteworthy that the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in 2017 that there are about 6,000 military personnel, noting that this number does not include the Russian police forces that were established by decree of President Vladimir Putin in 2015, while the real number of Russian military personnel in Syria exceeded 20,000 fighters and military advisers affiliated with of land, air and sea forces.
U.S. security officials and independent experts told Reuters last week that Moscow had increased its forces in Syria to 4,000 personnel from an estimated 2,000. A U.S. defense official said multiple rocket-launcher crews and long-range artillery batteries were deployed outside four bases the Russians were using.
HTS and Ahrar al-Sham are the most militarily powerful, with the former likely commanding 12,000 to 14,000 fighters and the latter closer to 18,000 to 20,000.
Overnight [after its January 2017 expansion], Ahrar al-Sham had gained approximately 8,000 additional fighters to supplement its already large membership of 12,000.
L. Ivashov: – If Russia did not engage in Syria and support the Assad regime, our budget would face the most severe difficulties by now. Three pipelines are competing there. Qatar has just discovered one of the largest gas resources: 51 trillions 50 billions of condensate. The first pipeline they attempted to lay was to Europe, through Syria and Turkey, where Turkey would become the operator. B. Nadezhdin: – So we entered the Syrian conflict to ensure demand for Gazprom? L. Ivashov: – Yes, for our survival.
