Russian involvement in the Syrian Civil War

A Russian Sukhoi-25 ground-attack aircraft was shot down in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib on Feb. 3, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss the outcome of the Syrian National Dialogue Summit in Sochi and developments regarding Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Daily Sabah reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Jan. 11 that it was not Turks who attacked Russia’s bases in Syria this week, according to local media reports.

A US intelligence aircraft flew in the area between Khmeimim and Tartus during the attack on the Russian base in Khmeimim. This was stated by the Russian Defense Ministry, FOCUS reported quoting TASS.

Russia has enough forces remaining in Syria to withstand possible attacks on its bases, a Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday, quoted by Reuters. 

"That contingent that remains, the military infrastructure that remains, at the Hmeimim and Tartus military bases, they are completely capable of fighting these occasional terrorist acts," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call.

Russia and Turkey have created conditions for launching the political settlement of the Syrian conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 30. 

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a terrorist and continuing with him in Syrian peace efforts is impossible, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Dec. 27.

US fighter jets F-22 fired warning missiles after two Russian warplanes Su-25 entered a deescalation zone in the airspace east of the Euphrates River in Syria, a US official said.

Russia will keep a naval and an air base in Syria capable of carrying out strikes against "terrorists" if required after a partial military pull-out announced by President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Dec. 12.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 11 he wanted to work with Iran and Turkey to kick-start the Syrian peace process during a surprise visit to the war-torn country, Russian news agencies reported.