According to Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, over 50 military aircraft and special forces are taking part in the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group.
"More than 50 warplanes and helicopters are part of the Russian air force striking Islamic State targets in Syria," Konashenkov said Thursday.
He also stressed that marines, paratroopers, and special forces will be mobilized to protect Moscow’s military assets.
Russia began airstrikes against IS targets on Wednesday with the permission of the Syrian government. The move received heavy criticism from the West, whose own bombing campaigns have failed to prevent the spread of the terrorist group.
With Moscow and Washington at odds over how best to combat the threat, the Kremlin has ruled out the possibility of joining the US-led coalition.
"Theoretically, it would look nice from a political point of view, but I think that we have difficulty understanding the principles on which the coalition is acting," Russian Foreign Ministry official Ilya Rogachyov told RIA Novosti.
"On the basis that the coalition currently exists, we are unlikely to join."
Despite their separate campaigns, the Russian and US militaries have agreed to maintain dialogue to prevent a "conflict of interests."
"The sides focused on establishing regular contacts between military experts to prevent a conflict of interests in the Syrian airspace during operations against the Islamic State," a high-ranking Russian defense official told RIA Novosti.
