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Russian armed forces have launched massive attacks in Syrian province of Idlib and Homs TASS 11611161

The conflict in Syria

Russian armed forces have launched massive attacks in Syrian province of Idlib and Homs.

On November 15, Russia`s Armed Forces have launched massive attacks against the terrorists in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Homs. The military is intensively using several pieces of military hardware, including the Project 11435 'Admiral Kuznetsov' heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser (NATO reporting name: Kuznetsov-class) and the Project 11356 'Admiral Grigorovich' frigate (Krivak V/Grigorovich-class), the Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu said during a meeting with the representatives of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and defense industry being conducted by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

Russian armed forces user 3K55 Bastion coastal missile defence system against terrorist targets in Syria

"We have started a large-scale operation to attack the positions of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terroristic groupings [both forbidden in Russia] in the provinces of Idlib and Homs [in Syria] at 10.30 and 11.00 on November 15," Shoigu reported.

According to him, the 'Admiral Grigorovich' frigate used the 3M-14 Kalibr (SS-N-27 Sizzler) sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCM) against land targets reconnoitered in advance, while the 3K55 Bastion (SSC-5 Stooge) mobile coastal defense systems stroke objects in Syria`s hinterlands. "It was the first time, when Russia`s Navy used its 'Admiral Kuznetsov' heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser in action. The Su-33 (Flanker-D) multirole fighter jets have started to conduct sorties, taking off from the ship`s flight deck," the minister said.

"We were carefully conducting reconnaissance of the targets in advance, choosing the most valuable ones," Shoigu continued. He mentioned "ammunition depots, terrorists` training camps and formations, and the plants that produce various weapons of mass destruction [WMD]" among the primary targets. "You know that we have dispatched a group of NBCR specialists to define the gases being exploited by the terrorists. They have used them twice over the past week, having contaminated 27 [three more were killed] and 30 Syria`s serviceman, respectively," Shoigu said.

He expressed his confidence in the existence of a well-run production of gases by the terrorists. "We are eliminating such targets, and we are going to continue the strikes," Shoigu said. He added that the results of the ongoing operation would be reported in order "to develop [new] measures to fight against terrorism in Syria".