MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the progress of Russia's aerial offensive in Syria with members of the country's Security Council, as well as current social-economic issues, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.
"The participants of the meeting discussed the Russian Defense Aerospace Forces' progress in Syria, as well as sharing views on social-economic issues [in Russia]," Peskov said.
The Russian Aerospace Defense Forces commenced precision airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh in Arabic), a group that is outlawed in Russia and a number of other countries, on September 30, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.
According to the Russian General Staff, ISIL militants have suffered significant losses, and are changing tactics and going into hiding in remote villages because of the airstrikes.