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Official: Operation in Syria was "good advertising" of Russian military equipment

According to the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Russian weapons proved to be the most high-precision, selective, effective at long range and in tactical depth

SOCHI, May 18. /TASS/. Head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Alexander Fomin said on Wednesday that the Russian anti-terrorist operation in Syria was "good advertising" of Russian military equipment.

"The developments in Syria and the participation of Russia’s Aerospace Forces and other units in them, the involvement of other types of weapons inadvertently created a vivid advertising stream - our weapons proved to be the most high-precision, selective, effective at long range and in tactical depth," Fomin told reporters.

"We don’t seek this, as there should be no advertising at war, but it was a necessity - the relevant operation to establish peace in Syria and destroy the gangs, terrorist groups," Fomin said. Nevertheless, he said, "this was very good advertising for us."

Russia’s Aerospace Forces started delivering pinpoint strikes in Syria at facilities of Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, which are banned in Russia, on September 30, 2015, on a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad. On March 14, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to start, from March 15, withdrawing the main part of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ group from Syria. Putin said the tasks set before the military "have been fulfilled on the whole." Two Russian military facilities - at the Khmeimim aerodrome and in Tartus, are still operational in Syria. The Russian military continue to take an active part in the fight against terrorist groups. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said strikes on terrorists will continue to be delivered.

The conflict in Syria has lasted since March 2011. The ceasefire regime took effect in Syria on February 27. Shortly before, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution supporting a cessation of hostilities. The document drafted by Russia and the United States was backed by all 15 Security Council member states. The ceasefire regime does not cover the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organizations as well as other groups ruled terrorist by the Security Council.