He said that a Russian jet that strayed into Turkish territory in October had done so because as it flew along the Turkish border in dense cloud “the equipment showed that a few ground-based air defence systems were trying to capture the plane”.
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Kartapolov said the Russian air force has it’s operations base at Hmeymim while the US centre of strategic air operations is in Qatar.
The head of Russia’s air force Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday that Russian fighter jets could be hijacked in countries neighboring Syria and used to attack Russian forces.
The Observatory said at least seven IS fighters had been killed in clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces and air strikes by the US-led coalition on Tuesday.
Activists say most Russian strikes have targeted Syrian rebels not connected to IS, including U.S.-backed factions, with the aim of tipping the civil war in favor of Moscow’s ally, President Bashar Assad.
Hosting a delegation of Russian parliamentarians in Damascus last month, Mr Assad expressed his gratitude for Moscow’s support and said eliminating “terrorist” groups would resolve Syria’s problems.
Asked whether it was crucial for Moscow that Assad stays, Maria Zakharova said on the Ekho Moskvy radio station: “Absolutely not, we’ve never said that”.
Five Russian attack helicopters have been moved to the new base in Tiyas, it adds.
Last month, the United States and Russian Federation signed an agreement on air safety protocols in Syria, where they are waging parallel air campaigns with different objectives.
“Russian Air Force and worldwide coalition crews conducted a near-miss within a minimally safe distance of three nautical miles in a specially designated area, set up communication on a pre-set frequency and exchanged messages about their flight parameters in Russian and in English”, the general said.
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But divisions remain on the fate of Assad, with Russian Federation and Iran resisting pressure from Western powers and Saudi Arabia to force the Syrian leader from power.
