Putin estimated the fighting in Syria, fighters from the former Soviet Union
The war in Syria about nine thousand fighters from former Soviet countries, said President of Russia Vladimir Putin. His words are quoted by the press service of the Kremlin.
“According to the Main intelligence Directorate of the General staff and other intelligence agencies, such as the FSB, it’s up to four thousand from Russia, and five thousand of the republics of the CIS”, — said the head of state at a meeting with the sailors who participated in the campaign to the coast of Syria.
Putin thanked servicemen, noting that in Moscow understand what “hotbed of terrorism” in Syria threatens Russia.
The commander of the Russian group of forces in Syria, Colonel-General Andrey Kartapolov reported in early January that two months the pilots of naval aviation made 420 sorties, destroying 1.2 thousand people. “Almost all the flights took place in difficult meteorological conditions”, — quoted the military commander RIA Novosti.
The campaign group of the Northern fleet ships headed by aircraft-carrying cruiser “Admiral Kuznetsov” took place from October 2016 to February of this year. In the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean has been lost for non-combat causes, two fighter (su-33 and MiG-29КР).