22 Sep 2017 13:41

Russian aircraft strike almost 54,000 militant groupings in 2 years in Syria - Defense Ministry

MOSCOW. Sept 22 (Interfax) - The Russian Aerospace Forces have struck over 53,000 groupings of militants in the two years of the Syria campaign, the Russian Defense Ministry's newspaper, Krasnaya Zvezda, said.

A total of 96,828 targets, including 53,707 groupings of militants, were destroyed between September 30, 2015, when Russian pilots began the Syria campaign, and September 20, 2017, according to an infographic in the newspaper.

Aircraft hit 17,194 terrorist strongholds, 8,332 command and control posts, and 6,769 arms and fuel depots in that period, according to the report.

They damaged or destroyed 970 field and training camps, 212 oil fields and oil and gas complexes controlled by militants, 184 oil refineries and stations, and 132 fuel pumping stations and oil truck convoys, according to the report.