The Russian military operation in Syria wasn’t motivated by geopolitical interests or a desire to test new weapons; it was initiated because Daesh (a terrorist organization known also as ISIL and the Islamic State) directly threatens Russia, President Vladimir Putin said.
"Our soldiers in Syria are, first and foremost, defending their country. Our actions there aren’t motivated by some obscure and abstract geopolitical interests or a desire to train our forces and test new weapons – which is of course an important goal as well. Our main objective is to avert a threat to the Russian Federation," Putin said during a meeting with the Russian Defense Ministry officials.
"I instruct you to act extremely rigid. Any target threatening a Russian grouping or our ground infrastructure needs to be immediately destroyed," Putin said.
Russia's operation in Syria is not being carried out in its geopolitical interests or because of a desire to test new weapons, but because the Islamic State is directly threatening Russia, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
Russian military personnel have inflicted serious damage to the Islamic State (known as Daesh in the Arab world and prohibited in many countries including the United States and Russia) in Syria and have been able to change the situation in the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
"I won't give exact figures now because this will be said by the defense minister in his report, but I'll say the main thing. The combined use of force from the Aerospace Forces and the Navy, the use of the newest precise systems of weaponry has allowed us to deliver serious damage to the infrastructure of terrorists, and has seriously changed the situation in Syria," Putin said during a meeting with the Defense Ministry.
The Islamic State (ISIL, also known by its Arab acronym Daesh) is designated a terrorist organization by numerous countries across the world, including Russia.
