Russian intervention in Syria 88 months on | Subsiding military operations in Syrian desert and “de-escalation zone” amid routine joint patrols with the Turks
At a time when Russia’s plans are proceeding with their 85th consecutive month of involvement in the Syrian crisis, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored and tracked the recent developments during the first 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
In “Putin-Erdogan” area, SOHR activists documented no airstrikes by Russian fighter jets or any other event related to Russian forces in the past month.
North-east Syria
In the past month, Russian and Turkish forces conducted six joint patrols, four of which were in Ain Al-Arab countryside (Kobani) in Aleppo, and two in Al-Darbasiyyah in Al-Hasakah countryside. Here are further details:
-Aleppo
- January 2: Russian and Turkish forces conducted a joint military patrol in the western countryside of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani). The joint patrol, comprising eight Russian and Turkish military vehicles, set off from Amsha village in the countryside of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani), amid a flight by two Russian helicopters over the area. The patrol toured the villages of Jarqli Fawqani, Jebnah and Bayadiyah, reaching Zor Maghar village off Jarablus city on the east bank of the Euphrates river west of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani) in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.
- January 9: Russian military police and Turkish forces conducted a joint patrol in the eastern countryside of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani). The patrol, comprising seven Russian and Turkish military vehicles, set off from Gharib village, 15 kilometres east of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani). The joint patrol toured the villages of Karbnaf, Kusk, Ali Shar, Jum Ali, Kortak, Kobak Satan, Tary, Tel Hajeb, Kabajak Sagher, Telk, Boztaba, Karagh Mogh and Jishan all the way to the junction of Kharabisan Fawqani village. The patrol then returned to Gharib village.
- January 16: Russian military police and Turkish forces conducted a joint patrol in the western countryside of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani). The patrol, comprising eight Russian and Turkish military vehicles accompanied by two Russian helicopters, has set off from “Ashmeh” 20 kilometres to the west of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani). The joint patrol toured the villages of “Jarqli Fawqani, Qaran, Dikmadash, Khorkhuri, Buban, Joul Beik,” reaching Tel Shaeer village, four kilometres to the west of Kobani city.
- January 23: Russian military police conducted a joint patrol with the Turkish forces in the eastern countryside of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani). The patrol, comprising seven Russian and Turkish military vehicles, has set off from Gharib village, 15 kilometres to the east of Ain Al-Arab (Kobani).
-Al-Hasakah
- January 12: Russian and Turkish forces conducted a new joint patrol in Al-Hasakah countryside in north-east of Syria. Four Russian vehicles, accompanied by four Turkish vehicles, set off from Shirik crossing west of Al-Derbasiyah, touring villages in the countryside, reaching the western countryside of Amuda. According to SOHR activists, people threw stones at the patrol in Al-Karbatli village as an expression of the rejection of the Russian-Turkish agreements and the presence of Turks in their areas.
- January 26: Russian and Turkish forces conducted a joint patrol this morning in Al-Darbasiyah countryside of the northern countryside of Al-Hasakah. The patrol of eight Turkish and Russian vehicles set off from Shirik village, west of Al-Darbasiyah, amid the flight by two Russian helicopters over the area. The joint patrol has toured the villages of Delik, Malak, Abbas, Aliyah, Dahr Al-Arab, Kisra, Korkond, Torat, Kairawan, Barakah and A’tishan.
On the other hand, military vehicles of regime and Russian forces, accompanied by a vehicle of the SDF Relations Office, set off from Al-Qamishli airport, on January 26, and distributed logistic supplies to the military posts of the regime forces on the Syrian-Turkish border. According to Syrian Observatory activists, the vehicles set off from the western countryside of Amuda to Al-Darbasiyah countryside and Abu Rasin countryside, where outposts of regime forces are located in Al-Asadiyah village, which is the last separation point between the SDF and regime-controlled areas from one side, and “Peace Spring” area which is controlled by Turkish-backed factions on another side east of Ras Al-Ain in the northern countryside of Al-Hasakah.
While on January 28, a 15-year-old boy was seriously injured after being run over by a Russian military vehicle on the highway in Ain Issa city centre in northern countryside of Al-Raqqah. The child was taken to the “Omar Alloush” hospital for treatment and then transferred to Al-Raqqah.
On January 15, Russian forces evacuated their troops from their military base in Bir Hassan village, east of Ain Issa, on M4 highway following a dispute with the residents of the village. According to Syrian Observatory activists, the dispute began when some Russian soldiers tried to flirt with a Syrian girl working in a shop by giving her women’s clothes as a gift. Flirting with the girl angered her family and the villagers, and then a dispute erupted over this action by Russian troops. SDF intervened and evacuated the Russian base.
As a part of exploiting the residents’ dire living conditions, Russian forces distributed food baskets to residents of Al-Batariyah village in Rif Dimashq. The baskets of the Russian forces include sugar, tea, rice, and bulgur, one kilogram for each, and several other cans. The Russian forces distribute these baskets to show their humanity and take advantage of the needs of civilians who are mired in dire living conditions and economic crises.
Also, on January 22, regime helicopters and fighter jets landed in Al-Jarrah military airbase, aka “Kashish” airbase, to the west of Al-Assad lake in the east of Aleppo for the first time since it was put out of service nine years earlier. On the other hand, Russian forces have deployed airdefence system in the airbase. It is worth noting that the airbase was reopened yesterday, where a parade was held with the participation of Russian and regime infantry, fighter jets and helicopters. The “Free Army” factions had imposed their control over Al-Jarrah military airbase in 2013, before ISIS took control of the airbase in 2014. While regime forces regained control of Al-Jarrah airbase in 2017. The airbase is located to the east of Al-Mahdoum village in Manbij area, and it contains 12 hangars and a three-kilometre-long runway. It is worth noting that Russian forces are stationed in Hmeimim base in Latakia countryside since the Council of the Russian Federation granted the Russian president Vladimir Putin the mandate to intervene militarily in Syria in 2015.
Syrian desert
In the 88th month of Russian military operations in Syria, SOHR activists document the death of three ISIS members and injury of ten others in nearly 40 Russian airstrikes on their positions in the Syrian desert.
Between the 30th of September 2015 and the 30th of January 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.
