Russian Aerospace Forces help Syrian army substantially increase controlled area - Russian Defense Ministry
MOSCOW. July 24 (Interfax) - The Syrian army has succeeded in extending fourfold the area under its control since the start of the Russian Aerospace Forces' operation, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi said.
"A little more than 19,000 square kilometers of territory in the Syrian Arab Republic was under control of government troops at the start of the Russian Armed Forces operation in the republic. The Syrian army currently controls 74,200 square kilometers - an area almost four times larger," Rudskoi said at a press briefing on Monday.
The establishment of the cessation of hostilities and the creation of de-escalation areas in Syria enabled governmental troops to make a certain portion of forces available and to achieve tangible successes with the Russian Aerospace Forces' support in the fight against terrorist groups, he said.