The Russian Defence Ministry said the centre is used to share information on possible air strikes in Syria.
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The USA conducted airstrikes in Syria as planned Wednesday, not near where Russian jets are operating.
“They are striking areas that they’ve looked at over the past week or so”, the official said.
“A Russian official in Baghdad this morning informed U.S. Embassy personnel that Russian military aircraft would begin flying anti-ISIL missions today over Syria”, said spokesman John Kirby. The general then went on to warn American units away, but his warning fell flat as USA warplanes “continued to fly as normal”.
Reacting to criticism that it is targeting opponents of the Syrian government, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on Thursday that Russia’s airstrikes in Syria are targeting not only Islamic State militants but also other groups.
The Western-backed Free Syrian Army told Reuters that it had been bombed by Russian forces.
A second official has stated that it is unclear whether the Russian military intends to follow through with an intense campaign against the Syrian rebels or pause after the first airstrike. We see a few very sophisticated air-to-air aircraft going into these airfields.
However, Yuval Weber, an assistant professor of global relations at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics told The Moscow Times on Wednesday that by declaring limited involvement in Assad’s war, Russian Federation was repeating USA mistakes early in the Vietnam war.
Sergei Ivanov, the Kremlin’s chief-of-staff, said parliament had backed military action by 162 votes to zero after President Bashar al-Assad asked for Russian military assistance to help fight Islamic State and other rebel groups.
The Church’s head, Patriarch Kirill, said a “responsible decision” had been taken “for the protection of the Syrian people from calamities inflicted by the iniquity of terrorists”, according to a statement published on the Church’s website.
“Strikes of that kind would question Russia’s real intentions fighting Isil or protecting the Assad regime”, he said.
However, there is already a few indication that Russian forces are on the ground fighting for Assad’s survival.
Carter said a strategy for a political transition in Syria must occur parallel to military action.
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The chairman of the Federation Council’s defense and security committee, Viktor Ozerov, told the Russian News Service on Wednesday that Putin submitted his request to the legislative body on Monday while in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly. Later, Putin met with U.S. President Barack Obama behind closed doors to discuss Syria, among other things. It has also observed a small number of Russian long-range bombers being moved into airfields in the southern part of Russia, which could give Moscow a long-range heavy bomber capability in Syria, according to the officials.
