Russia Shows Off Military Might In Syria

It's not a simple business getting to Syria on a Russian military jet.

To start with, you have to take the long way round. They no longer fly over Turkey after one of their jets was downed by a Turkish F-16.

As a result, our transport plane, which was carrying a small group of journalists to the Russian airbase in Latakia, had to take a considerable diversion.

But the funny thing was, they seemed really glad when we arrived.

The Russian military cloaks just about everything it does in secrecy - and their activities in Syria are no exception.

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Video: 16 Dec: Russian Raids 'Help IS'

For the past three months Russian bombers, fighters and attack helicopters have been bombing a wide range of militant groups - including Islamic State - at the behest of Bashar al Assad’s regime.

But we found our minders from the Russian Ministry of Defence surprisingly willing to please.

An hour or so after touchdown, we were led out onto the lip of runway number one and watched, open-mouthed, as supersonic Sukhoi S-24 bombers roared skyward or screeched to a halt.

Later, we were driven to the loading bays, as precision weapons and unguided "dumb" bombs were fastened to the wings.

According to the man in charge of our tour, the affable General Igor Konachenkov, it’s all part of a new approach to get the message out.

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Video: Assad: Coalition Has Helped IS
"I want to tell you honestly that we want work openly with the foreign media… with objective journalists who deal in reality."

That's also an indirect way of admitting the Russians are struggling to sell their version of the "war on terror". Many in the West think their Syrian bombing campaign is all about saving Assad's skin.

However, this willingness to work with "objective" foreign reporters may flounder on the facts.


Organisations like the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Medecins Sans Frontieres have accused the Russians of killing civilians and destroying critical infrastructure like hospitals, clinics and food depots.

Yet General Konachenkov dismisses such reports as fabrications: "We precisely monitor the information that is broadcast by so-called public organisations and we know why they are doing this.

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Video: The Kurdish Fighters Battling IS
"We were not even in Syria when one of these sources was claiming that Russian aviation was hitting civilian buildings."

At times, the head of press at the Ministry of Defence sounded like a man who just couldn’t win.

"The more precisely we hit the targets, the more those organisation fighting for human rights, based in London, accuse us of destroying civilian infrastructure.

"Pay attention - not a single bit of evidence has been provided - not a single time."

Still, it is difficult to imagine a piece of evidence the Russians would accept and ultimately, that is where Gen Konachenkov’s denials fall down.

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Video: Syria Resolution Adopted By UN
When I asked him whether any mistakes had been made in the targeting process, he said: "No, no, there are no mistakes - they simple cannot happen."

When you consider the fact that they’ve flown 4,000 sorties since late-September, his response is scarcely believable.

Nonetheless, our trip to Latakia shows that the General, and his political masters, do care how they are perceived around the world - and that must be good for something.