Russian intervention in Syria 92 months on | First round of airstrikes on “de-escalation zone” in six months…five joint patrols with the Turks and ongoing suspension of anti-ISIS operations in Syrian desert
At a time when Russia’s plans are proceeding with their 92nd consecutive month of involvement in the Syrian crisis, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored and tracked the recent developments during the sixth month of the eighth year of the Russian intervention in Syria. This month has experienced subsiding activity by Russian forces in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Key developments can be summarized regionally as follows:
North-west Syria
Russian fighter jets renewed their airstrikes on “Putin-Erdogan” area, after suspension of aerial operations for nearly six months. On May 26, Russian fighter jets executed five airstrikes on the surrounding areas of Fulayfel and Sfuhen in Jabal Al-Zawiyah in the southern countryside of Idlib. However, no casualties were reported.
North-east Syria
In the past month, Russian and Turkish forces conducted five joint patrols, three of which were in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani) in Aleppo province and two in Al-Darbasiyyah countryside in Al-Hasakah province. Here are further details:
- May 2: Turkish and Russian forces ran a reconnaissance patrol in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani) in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. The patrol, which comprised eight vehicles and escorted by two Russian helicopters, set off from Ghareeb village in the eastern countryside of Ain Al-Arab and toured the villages of Karbanaf, Kusak, Alishar, Joum Ali, Kurtak, Kubak Satan, Terri, Teljib, Qabajeq Saghir, Talak, Holaqiyah, Kharabisan Tahtani, Jayshan and Qarrah Mough, before returning to the starting point.
- May 4: Russian and Turkish forces conducted a military joint patrol in the northern countryside of Al-Hasakah, amid the flight of two helicopters over the region to protect the patrol. The patrol which comprised four military vehicles of each side, set off from the crossing of Sherik village west of Al-Derbasiyah and toured villages in Al-Derbasiyah and Amuda countryside, where they toured Delik, Salam Aleik, Qunaitrah, Qaramanieh, Tel Kedish, Ghanamiyah, Kar Bateli, Jadidah, Tel Tairi, Tel Karamah, Abu Jaradi, Khaski, Madoura and Khanki, before they return back in the same road.
- May 8: Turkish and Russian forces ran a joint patrol in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani). The patrol, which comprised eight vehicles and escorted by two Russian helicopters, set off from Ashma village in the western countryside of Ain Al-Arab and toured the villages of Jarqali Foqani, Qarran, Dikmidash, Kharkhouri, Boban, Joul Bek, Tel Sha’ir, Sousan, Qoula, Qarrah, Qawa Tahtani, Bayander, Mashko, Jabnah, Jarqali Foqani, before returning to the starting point. After accomplishing their task, Russian forces returned to their base in Sarin town in the southern countryside of Ain Al-Arab.
- May 17: Turkish and Russian forces ran a joint patrol of eight military vehicles in the western countryside of Al-Hasakah and Abu Rasin countryside in northern Al-Hasakah. The patrol, which was escorted by two Russian helicopters, set off from the crossing in Sherik village and toured the villages of Dalik, Malak, Abbas, Zahr Al-Arab, Kisra, Karkond, Baraka, Otayshan, Qonaytarah and Qarmaniyah, before returning to the starting point.
- May 22: Turkish and Russian forces ran a joint patrol in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani). The patrol, which comprised eight vehicles and escorted by two Russian helicopters, set off from Ashma village in the western countryside of Ain Al-Arab and toured the villages of Jarqali Foqani, Jabnah, Bayyadah, Zour Maghar in the western countryside of Kobani and Mashku, Bayander, Qaraqyi Tahtani, Qula and Susan in the eastern countryside of Kobani, before returning to the starting point. After accomplishing their task, Russian forces returned to their base in Sarin town in the southern countryside of Ain Al-Arab.
On May 15, Russian forces conducted a patrol alone in Ain Al-Arab countryside. Turkish forces were supposed to participate in that patrol, but the Turkish arrived at the border crossing near Ghareeb village in the western countryside of Ain Al-Arab too late, after Russian forces had moved. The Russian patrol, which comprised four vehicles, toured the villages of Karbanaf, Kusak, Alishar, Joum Ali, Kurtak, Kubak Satan, Terri, Teljib, Qabajeq Saghir, Talak, Holaqiyah and Kharabisan Tahtani, before Russian forces returned to their base in Sarin town in the southern countryside of Ain Al-Arab.
Separately, Russian forces ordered a subordinated Syrian militia to send reinforcement to east Homs countryside, SOHR sources reported on May 13 the arrival of military reinforcement of the Russian-backed “Liwaa Al-Quds” in Palmyra city in the eastern countryside of Homs. The recently-arrived reinforcement was deployed in two positions; one in the northern part of Palmyra city and the second in the city’s eastern part near Arak village.
It is worth noting that the reinforcement was guarded by members of the regime’s military intelligence branch in Palmyra city. However, the reasons behind sending and deploying this reinforcement at that timing, which coincided with escalating movements by Iranian-backed militias in that region, remain unknown.
As a part of exploiting the residents’ dire living conditions and efforts to woo Syrian people, the Russian reconciliation centre in Deir Ezzor city distributed 300 food baskets, on May 17, to residents of “Al-Hemayshat Gathering” in Hatlah neighbourhood in Deir Ezzor countryside. The baskets contained sugar, tea, rice, oil and packs of powder milk.
Similarly, on May 22, the Russian reconciliation centre distributed 300 food baskets to residents in Al-Mayadeen city, the “capital of Iranian-backed militias in east Syria,” in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, in presence of the head of the governorate council and his deputy. The baskets contained sugar, tea, rice, oil and flour.
Syrian desert
In the 92nd month of Russian military operations in Syria, SOHR activists document no aerial operations by Russian forces in the Syrian desert, despite the considerable escalation of bloody operations by ISIS which killed two civilians and 24 members of regime forces and their proxy militias.
Between the 30th of September 2015 and the 30th of May 2023, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 21,123 persons. The breakdown of fatalities is as follows:
- 8,697 civilians: 2,112 children under the age of eighteen, 1,321 females over the age of eighteen, 5,264 men and young people
- 6,201 ISIS members
- 6,225 fighters of rebel and Islamic Factions, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamic Turkestani Party, and fighters of Arab and foreign nationalities.
SOHR sources have reported that Russia used “Thermite-type explosives” in their airstrikes, a substance composed of aluminium powder and iron oxide which causes burns as it continues to ignite for about 180 seconds; some bombs used by Russian jets on the Syrian territory were loaded with this substance.
It has been discovered that they are “RBK-500 ZAB 2.5 SM” cluster incendiary bombs each weighing about 500 kg (about 1100 pounds (ca. 499 kilograms)) and they were dropped by military aircraft. They carried anti-individuals and anti-vehicles small-sized bombs of the type (AO 2.5 RTM), loaded with 50 to 110 small-sized bombs stuffed with “Thermite”, which outpour out of it when they explode; the range of these anti-individuals and anti-vehicles bombs reaches 20 to 30 metres.
As the months pass, the Syrians suffer the scourge of the Russian intervention, which seems to resemble a kind of revenge and retaliation against Syrians for protesting against the regime that committed the worst violations against its own people. At a time when the map of alliances and power balances is changing, Russia has become the ultimate winner, succeeding in helping the Syrian regime regaining control over about two-thirds of the country after losing control of most of its territory. Moscow used the pretext of “the war on terror” to commit massacres against civilians, and sponsored and struck agreements that were soon after abandoned. Moscow and its war machine have spilled the blood of Syrians despite claiming to be a “political mediator” or “broker” that can deal with all parties to the conflict.
With all recent changes in the balance of powers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renews its appeals to the international community to put pressure on Russia to stop its aggression against the Syrians, and to find a political solution to end the Syrian crisis that completed its eleventh year.
