Very reliable sources have informed the Syrian Observatory that Turkish forces withdrew their heavy weapons and gears from Kuramuzat village in Ain Issa city in northern Al-Raqqah. The reasons behind this development, which coincides with ongoing movements by Russian and regime forces in Ain Issa, have not been known yet.
Our sources in Syria, as well as a number of Russian media, claim that yesterday, on September 21, the Turkish artillery units fired on the main defense point of the Syrian army in the city of Sarakib, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.
Radio France Internationale (RFI) has confirmed that there are Twitter accounts close to Egyptian authorities saying Cairo has sent a Russian anti-aircraft system to Ras Lanuf in Libya.
Russian planes carried out at least 30 airstrikes in the Jabal al-Zawiya area of Idlib province on Monday and Tuesday, signifying a dangerous escalation in the northwest province where a fragile ceasefire has held since its establishment by Turkey and Russia on March 5.
German neo-Nazis are training with the far-right Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) to gain proficiency in more advanced military-style tactics, according to a report by German news magazine Focus. The RIM, which was recently designated by the United States as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, is said to have hosted extremists who belonged to the youth wings of two German political parties considered to be neo-Nazi movements, the National Democratic Party and The Third Path. The training reportedly took place at a camp known as Partizan near Saint Petersburg, where former Russian military members conduct trainings on bombmaking, marksmanship, combat medicine, and small-group tactics such as assaulting and clearing buildings.
When observers think of Russian-backed formations in Syria, the V Corps is the one that most readily comes to mind. There are, however, other Russian-backed formations. One example is Liwa al-Areen (‘The Den Brigade’), which was initially affiliated with the military intelligence branch that directs all the Military Security branches.
Here’s What You Need To Remember: Long-term stability in Syria almost seems quixotic, more likely measured in decades than years. It will take time to assess the extent to which Russia has “won” in Syria. Absent a peaceful end to the conflict and an infusion of large-scale Western aid, downside risks for Russia could take some of the bloom off of its rose in Syria.
German attendance at a camp in St. Petersburg highlights the growing cooperation between white supremacist groups internationally.
These Russian claims have not yet been adjudicated by international law courts, the United Nations, or by any bilateral or multilateral treaty.
Russia’s blanket claims of territorial sovereignty pose a direct challenge to “Law of the Sea” conventions such as the “Freedom of Navigation” (FON) principle, championed by the U.S. and other Free World navies.
The satellite images published on May 26 by U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) appear to confirm reports that Russian MiG-29 jet fighters had flown to Libya. At least one of the aircraft, never before deployed to the country, was spotted at the al-Jufra air base. It may well be that, as some reports suggest, the aircraft were acquired from Belarus and operated by Belarussian and Serbian pilots, not Russians. Having said that, however, Russia can no longer deny it knows about the deployment of military equipment to Libya and argue, as it did, that the hardware was procured through dummy firms in Serbia without Moscow’s knowledge. In fact, the MiG-29s travelled to Libya via Russia’s Hemeimeem air base in Syria, by way of Iran’s Hamadan air base and Russia’s Privolzhsky airfield, and were accompanied by a Tu-154M military aircraft. As this latest episode makes clear, Hemeimeem air base plays a central role in Russia’s growing involvement in both the Mediterranean and Africa.