Five questions on Russia's air strikes in Syria

What is Russia doing in Syria? I was allowed to visit the Khmeimim airbase at the Bassel al-Assad International Airport, named after the deceased brother of the current president, which is the principal airbase of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the region since September 30, when their strikes began. Three other bases – Hama, Sharyat and Tiyas – are being used for helicopter gunships. The role of the Russian warplanes is primarily air support for ground offensives by the Syrian army and foreign Shiite militias. The Russian air force says they’re using reconnaissance intelligence they receive from the Syrian opposition, the joint-intelligence gathering centre in Baghdad, and the Syrian army. Russia says it’s not targeting the Free Syrian Army and is ready to provide air support to help opposition forces who are fighting ISIL. Do Russian strikes kill Syrian civilians? I asked that question of the officers at the base, and as you would expect they said there’s no evidence to believe they do. Human rights groups say Russian airstrikes violate the laws of war by bombing non-combatants indiscriminately. Monitoring groups such as the Syrian Network for Human Rights says the civilian death toll from Russian strikes surpasses 250 people killed. Human Rights Watch cited local residents in northern Homs province as claiming that a Russian airstrike on October 15 killed 59 civilians in the village of Ghantou. The Kremlin, however, dismisses all such accusations as ‘bogus’. The bombs and rockets I could see at the Hmeymim airbase in Latakia province on Syria’s Mediterranean coast were precision-guided. The Russian military routinely publishes videos purportedly showing accurate airstrikes. They also claim that all the targets are checked with multiple sources. Still, it would be doubtful that more than 4,000 strikes Russian planes have officially made since the end of September caused no collateral victims among the general population. Are there any casualties among the Russian troops? Russia’s military operation has so far entailed just one officially recognised casualty among the troops, a 19-year old technical specialist who the military says has committed suicide – an account doubted by his relatives. The command says personal matters, not service circumstances, drove the soldier to taking his own life – as much effort is spared to provide comfort and support to hundreds of pilots, engineers, naval infantry, special military forces and other servicemen located on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. I talked to the base psychologist who told be the servicemen are getting tired and less focused after several weeks of the operation, so he’s inspecting them regularly to make sure they get all necessary help. However, he wasn’t allowed to answer my question on how the staff in Latakia reacted to the explosion of the Russian passenger plane in Egypt that killed all 224 people on board, likely in retaliation to Moscow’s airstrikes in Syria. Who else uses Russian planes there? Verifying the origin of airstrikes can be difficult as the Syrian government also uses Soviet-made warplanes. The Syrian air forces make on average more than 30 sorties per day. They insist they are targeting militant positions and not civilians. However humanitarian organisations such as the Doctors Without Borders also accuse Syria of indiscriminate use of weapons. Are Russian troops secretly fighting on the ground? There’s no clear evidence but many suggest that the Russian military activity in Syria goes beyond the air strikes, and that Russian troops are secretly taking part in combat operations with the Syrian army. Investigation bloggers found some selfies of Russian servicemen geotagged outside the Russian bases. When I asked officers on Latakia base about this, they didn’t deny the authenticity of such selfies but said these soldiers weren’t in combat units – they were in freight convoys, protecting cargo. The Kremlin has said there are no Russian troops in combat roles in Syria, though it has said there are trainers and advisers working alongside the Syrian military and also forces guarding Russia’s bases in western Syria. The political leadership seems concerned about possible casualties among the troops that would undermine public support for this campaign like it was during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. As one high ranking officer told me: “We’re staying put at the base – back in Russia they don’t want more coffins.” Your questions Youcan ask Denis your questions on Twitter, @Loctier and read his answers to other readers in the post below.. On Facebook: (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));Our reporter Denis Loctier is reporting from a Russian base in Syria. His internet connection is unreliable but he will…Posted by euronews on Thursday, November 12, 2015

Five questions on Russia's air strikes in Syria

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