SOCHI, May 10. /TASS/. The Russian air task force’s coordinated efforts have helped achieve drastic changes in Syria, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with commanders and heads of the defense sector on Tuesday.
"Long-range bombers performed 178 sorties and the strikes from the air and the sea against the infrastructural facilities of the IS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations were accurate, powerful and effective," the president said.
"Precisely these factors helped achieve drastic changes in the struggle against militants," Putin said.
According to the president, since the beginning of the air operation in Syria Russian planes have flown more than 10,000 sorties and hit 30,000 targets.
"Since the start of the operation directed at facilities of international terrorists on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, Russian Aerospace Defense Forces made over 10,000 sorties, delivered many airstrikes at the territory, hit over 30,000 targets, over 200 facilities on extracting and processing oil," the president noted.
The Russian president said that 115 cruise air-and sea-based missiles were fired from surface ships, submarines, as well as from strategic aviation and strategic missile carriers.
{history:20139:'Read also':'right':'50'}A lot to be done in Syria
The president has also stressed that the current situation in Syria is complicated and necessary conditions must be formed for the political settlement in the war-torn country.
"We do understand that the situation there [in Syria] is complicated and a lot is still to be done for the Syrian army but the most important is to form conditions for the political settlement in the country," Putin said.
The Russian president said he hoped that a mechanism of such settlement, worked out jointly with Russian partners, including the United States, would result in constructive changes in Syria.
Putin highly evaluated the role of the Syrian military in the fight against militants across the country.
According to him, the Syrian army with the support of the Russian air task force liberated from militants over 500 residential settlements, including "Palmyra - the jewel of the world culture and civilization."
The Russian air task force’s operation in Syria, however, elicited some problems, which must be subjected to a thorough analysis and eventually corrected, according to Putin.
"The operation in Syria has elicited some problems and shortcomings as well," the president said. "A very thorough investigation needs to be carried out on each of them, I mean professional investigation and the most thorough analysis."