September 24, 2017
Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

Standing on a runway less than 10 metres from a Russian Su-34 fighter jet reaching takeoff velocity leaves one rattled to the core.
The intensity of the engines' roar makes it impossible to not cover your ears and look away.

Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

"Now you can feel Russia's power," said a Russian officer. He smiled as he watched the effect on the international media just arrived in Syria as part of a public relations tour of Russia's military activities in the country.
Russia has been at war in Syria since September 2015, supporting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Ever since, its military has been bringing domestic and foreign reporters from Moscow to showcase what its leaders say are the positive aspects of Russia's involvement in Syria's six-year civil war.

Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

Most of those tours begin with an early morning trip to the tarmac at the Khmeimim airbase to watch the start of the day's bombing missions.

Punishing attacks

When the first sorties were launched two years ago, opposition forces fighting the Syrian government were a mere 30 kilometres from the base outside Latakia, on Syria's coast.
Now, the closest enemy troops are more than 400 kilometres away, and territory held by ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is shrinking by the day.
They've been driven back by unrelenting, punishing attacks from the air by Russian bombs and missiles and on the ground by Syrian government troops and Iranian-backed militias supported by Russian "advisers" and special forces.

Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

Most of those tours begin with an early morning trip to the tarmac at the Khmeimim airbase to watch the start of the day's bombing missions.
Punishing attacks
When the first sorties were launched two years ago, opposition forces fighting the Syrian government were a mere 30 kilometres from the base outside Latakia, on Syria's coast.
Now, the closest enemy troops are more than 400 kilometres away, and territory held by ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is shrinking by the day.
They've been driven back by unrelenting, punishing attacks from the air by Russian bombs and missiles and on the ground by Syrian government troops and Iranian-backed militias supported by Russian "advisers" and special forces.

Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

Still, despite the constant barrage of positive headlines in the Kremlin-friendly publications and on Russian TV, the Russian public remains less than enthusiastic.
Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said Russia is trying to cement its tactical victories in Syria with a concerted effort to win over more hearts and minds back home.
"It's an unpopular campaign, despite the Russian TV propaganda machine working overtime to sell it as a great victory," said Felgenhauer. "It doesn't have overwhelming support."
Pollsters from Russia's independent Levada Centre released a survey at the start of September suggesting as many as 49 per cent of Russians do not support military intervention in Syria.

Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

"People are afraid we'll get bogged down there, like in Afghanistan in the 1980s," said Felgenhaur.
A series of Russian-negotiated ceasefires in four so-called "deconfliction zones" have brought a pause to much of the fighting between the rival Syrian groups. They've allowed both the Russian-backed Syrian army and opposition forces supported by the United States to focus on crushing ISIS.
Felgenhauer said the goalposts on how long Russia intends to stay in Syria have been constantly shifting, with the Kremlin at first suggesting Russia's direct military involvement might only be a few months.
Then in May, the defence minister suggested a Russian presence in Syria "on the southern flank of NATO" has fundamentally changed the "strategic balance of power" in the region, hinting at a far longer commitment.

"For the time being, it seems permanent," said Felgenhauer.

Now you can feel Russias power: Russian military in Syria eager to show its victories

Disturbing questions of civilian casualties also continue to dog the Russian mission in Syria. Human rights groups say hundreds — if not thousands — of innocent people have died — and continue to be killed from Russian bombs.
Among the recently liberated villages journalists were taken to on the recent tour was Okierbat in Hama province. 
Once home to 10,000 people, it is now deserted and unlivable as a result of the near total destruction of all the buildings there. Russian generals rarely mentioned casualties in their public statements to journalists, and when prodded on the recent trip, they provided only vague assurances about the absence of collateral damage to civilians.

We don't consider terrorists as humans, one military official told reporters.

Felgenhauer, the military analyst, put it differently. "Anyone who is killed by a Russian bomb is a terrorist, by definition," he said.
Report 'facts'
Staff in charge of the media tour seemed frequently impatient — even annoyed — by the off-message questioning on casualties and other topics.
At one point, journalists received a long lecture about how to report on Russia's successes and not to rely on the faraway insights of groups such as the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is tracking deaths from the conflict. It is generally seen as being opposed to the Assad regime.

"See the facts in front of you," implored a general.
For Russia, the fact that matters most is that the victories on the ground in Syria are adding up. 
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.