operation Objectives

The decision that the government of Syria, the only in the Middle East, who consistently struggle with terrorists, you must have not only military-technical, and military support, it's when it became apparent inability of the coalition headed by the United States to stop the expansion of the "Islamic State" ( group activity is banned in Russia), told RBC source close to the Kremlin. He repeated expressed in the morning, when the Federation Council approved the use of the Russian Armed Forces abroad, abstract of Sergey Ivanov, the presidential administration and President Dmitri Peskov Press Secretary that military aid to the government of Bashar al-Assad is legitimate, as will be provided at the request of the government, Unlike illegitimate, without a UN mandate and the Middle East, the USA and its allies. Interlocutor RBC said that Russian aid will be much more effective, because the Russian Air Force will operate in close coordination with the regular Syrian army. In addition, the leadership of Iraq and went on coordination with Moscow on the issue.
The fact that the decision to use Russian troops in the Syrian operations made, it became clear after Putin's speech at the UN, said a senior interlocutor of RBC in the State Duma. Before it was not evident, although in an interview before the performance at the United Nations, the President drew attention to the fact that Russian troops would not be involved only in a ground operation in Syria, the source said.

"If we do not want to activate the terrorist threat in Russia (let's not forget that on the side of the IG fighting a few thousand of our citizens), if we do not want to face the flow of refugees, we need to take preventive measures. Therefore, to counter terrorism in Syria will be involved in Air Force of Russia. Key point: a ground operation is no question ", - said the Secretary of the General Council of" United Russia "Sergei Neverov results of consideration of appeals Federation Council President.

On Wednesday morning, the Federation Council unanimously approved a resolution on the use of the Russian Armed Forces abroad. On the request of the Federation Council requested president Vladimir Putin. Later, Sergei Ivanov, speaking on the TV channel "Russia 24", announced that the request for military assistance addressed Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The main task of the combat operations to be undertaken by Russia, is the application of military infrastructure LIH irreparable damage: it is necessary to bleed the army of terrorists, underscores RBC said. To this end, the basic strokes are not printed on the manpower of the enemy, and in warehouses of weapons, ammunition, fuel and lubricants. The problem will be solved when the military power LIH be significantly undermined.

Interlocutor RBC, close to the Kremlin does not expect much resistance from Western partners: they see the ineffectiveness of their actions against the LIH, and the ultimate aims of this issue in Moscow and the West are the same. According to RBC's source, the first reaction to the decision of the Federation Council also quite restrained. "Russian diplomacy managed to reach certain agreements with the US on the issue of the need to resolve the Syrian conflict", - prokommentiroval after the decision of the Federation Council of the State Duma vice-speaker, United Russia deputy Sergei Zheleznyak.

Who is fighting whom

Putin have repeatedly explained, including an interview with the American CBS and PBS on the eve of his visit to New York that Russia considers all those who fought against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad terrorists, which must be combated. "He [al-Assad] is opposed, on the interpretation of some of our international partners, the opposition. But in fact in real life army Assad is fighting with terrorist organizations ", - Putin said (quoted by the Kremlin website). By fighting with Assad forces it also classifies the Kurdish militia. The US and its allies are arming the so-called moderate opposition and strikes at positions LIH September, 2014.

Enhanced control LIH in Syria began in the spring, by May they had seized most of the province of Idlib and ancient Palmyra in Homs province. By late summer, according to Western experts, Assad has faced the threat of loss of the developed and densely populated area along the Mediterranean Sea from Latakia to Damascus. Not far from Latakia is pointlogistics of the Russian Navy - the only Russian military facility in the region.

Government Army is now helping Syria, "Hezbollah" and irregular armed groups. They are opposed by "Dzhebhat en-Nusra", "Islamic State", the Kurds and the so-called moderate rebels, including the Free Syrian Army, formed in the beginning of the conflict. The actual participants is much greater.

North of the country along the border with Turkey Kurdish control units, whose number may reach several tens of thousands of people.

Support for the government of the Syrian army is now having terrorist fighters of the Lebanese movement "Hezbollah", also on the side of Assad's war fighters from Iran and Iraq, Tehran dispatched to Syria of his advisers. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has promised support for Assad "to the end of the road."

According to estimates of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in 2014, government troops had about 70 thousand. Man. The total number of forces supporting the Assad regime is estimated at about 140 thousand., Said the woundsher military expert Vladimir Evseev. In the year regime can recruit up to 25 thousand. New recruits.