Shoigu reports to Putin that operation on de-blocking of Syria's Deir ez-Zor previously held by terrorists is completed - Peskov
VLADIVOSTOK. Sep 5 (Interfax) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has updated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the completion of the operation on de-blocking of Deir ez-Zor, a Syrian city that once was in the hands of terrorists, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
"It was less than one hour ago that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President and Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin that the operation on the de-blocking of Deir ez-Zor had been completed," Peskov told reporters.
Now "the areas of the Syrian troops' breakthrough are being expanded and street battles are underway in Deir ez-Zor," Peskov went on.
"This is a very important strategic victory," Peskov said.
According to Shoigu, the strikes involving Russian aviation and Kalibr cruise missiles fired from the Mediterranean Sea surface, "damaged infrastructure, underground communications, and storage depot facilities with weapons belonging to terrorists", Peskov said.
"That facilitated the rapid advance of the armed units of the Syrian government forces, which penetrated the ISIL defenses and thus de-blocked the city," he said.
"The terrorists resisted and still continue to resist. They used kamikazes. Almost 50 so-called jihad mobiles have been destroyed," Peskov said.