Something strange is going on in Syria. Khmeimim, also known as Hmeimim or Hmeymim, Russia’s largest airbase in Syria was attacked this week. Multiple servicemen have been killed, multiple planes have been damaged. No rebel group has so far claimed responsibility, and the Russian ministry of defense grudgingly admitted that the attack was a high-tech one, mostly performed by long-range mortar guns and attack drones.
For a war that most agreed was over, this seems like a quite sudden change.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Syria</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lattakia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lattakia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Latakia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Latakia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jableh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jableh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Jabla?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Jabla</a> Photo showing the Type of Drones & Bombs which are MOST LIKELY being used to bomb <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russian?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russian</a> airbase Khmeimim / Hmeimim airbase - Atleast 2 of these drones were shot down near Qardaha & 1 near <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Russian?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Russian</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Homs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Homs</a> Sapper / Demining School <a href="https://t.co/w10nK1azBO">pic.twitter.com/w10nK1azBO</a></p>— Ivan Sidorenko (@IvanSidorenko1) <a href="https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/949851984533782534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">7 January 2018</a></blockquote>
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The independent Russian newspaper Kommersant at first wrote about the attack in its 3 January edition saying that 2 Russian soldiers die and 7 airplanes were destroyed (four Su-24s, two Su-35S fighters, and an An-72 transport plane).
The Tass media agency, run by the Kremlin, had no choice but to acknowledge the facts on 4 January. It said that the Russian Ministry of Defense admitted: "On December 31, 2017, at nightfall, the Hmeymim airfield came under a sudden mortar fire from a mobile militant subversive group.”
“A report in the Kommersantnewspaper on the alleged destruction of seven Russian warplanes at the Hmeymim airbase is fake. Russia’s air group in Syria is combat ready and continues to accomplish all its missions in full.”
Do note the detail that Tass forgets to leave out in this response. It does say that seven airplanes destroyed is too many and thus false but does not say that airplanes destroyed is false. This is important. Rebel groups have successfully attacked a Russian airbase and destroyed airplanes and done so with a high level of sophistication apparently. Though the strength of ISIS at this point is highly questionable, it does leave open the possibility that a guerrilla group is intact and operating with high striking power in Syria. It’s aim apparent: the Russian forces.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Russian MoD-only after reports start coming out, only soldiers died no aircraft. Meanwhile on VK- "По базе в Хмеймим. Всё же пострадала техника. Предварительно 6 Су-24, 1 Су-35С, 1 Ан-72, 1 Ан-30 разведчик, 1 Ми-8. 2 Су-24 и Су-35С ввели в строй." <a href="https://t.co/8xCLoKaioU">pic.twitter.com/8xCLoKaioU</a></p>— Lost Weapons (@LostWeapons) <a href="https://twitter.com/LostWeapons/status/948930068935360512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">4 January 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Russians lost 7 planes. You can be sure they'll strike back then.