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Russia bewildered at France’s statement on Syria

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Russia had misappropriated the victory over the IS terrorist organization in Syria

© Vadim Grishankin/Russian Defense Ministry's press service/TASS

MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry is bewildered at the statement made by France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian that Russia has misappropriated the victory over IS (Islamic State terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia), the ministry said on Sunday.

"The defeat of IS in Syria is first of all result of actions by the Syrian leadership and governmental forces," the ministry said. "With support of the Russian Aerospace Force, the Syrian armed forces liberated from IS terrorists hundreds of settlements and returned under control of the legitimate leadership practically the entire territory of the country."

Over that time, the international coalition focused on counter-acting the Syrian governmental forces, including direct air strikes on their positions in Deir ez-Zor, the ministry said. Over three year of existence, the "coalition" only recently succeeded for the first time in fighting IS in Syria - when it delivered mass bombing of Raqqa and its civilians, the Defense Ministry said.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Russia had misappropriated the victory over the IS terrorist organization in Syria. In an interview with BFMTV he said forces of the international coalition had pushed the terrorists away, and the Russian military came to assist the forces of (Syria’s President) Bashar Assad and in the end liberated Deir ez-Zor with a certain delay.

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