Another sign that the military operations in Syria are winding down,
Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported a vast reduction in the number of
military flights carried out over Syrian airspace by their planes in
recent weeks, a 99% drop from the war’s peak.
Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that Russia was carrying out 100 to
110 flights per day at its peak. Now, they do no more than 2-4 flights
per week, chiefly for reconnaissance purposes.
Though most of Syria’s major enemies are already defeated, there are few
left to airstrike at this point, with Russia and Syria laying off the
Turkey-backed rebels in the far north, and the limited ISIS presence in
the east a focus of US airstrikes.
Either way, Russia is clearly dialing back its intervention in Syria,
though it is likely to maintain a presence going forward, particularly
with the US having committed to a more or less open-ended operation in
the country, and Turkey threatening invasions.
Russia Cuts Military Flights Over Syria by 99%
Defense Minister: Only 2-4 flights happen per week
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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