MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry has rejected media reports that Su-57 stealth fighters have been redeployed to Syria, noting that Google maps featured old satellite images of the Hmeymim air base with Russia’s fifth generation fighter jets.

Earlier, media outlets published satellite images of the air base in Latakia claiming that Russia’s fighter jets had recently arrived there.

According to the ministry, "the photos of Russia’s fifth generation fighter jet at the Hmeimim air base were made back in 2018 during its tests in real combat conditions, and the Russian Defense Ministry officially reported about this."

Last year, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Su-57 fighter jets had carried out more than 10 sorties in Syria "to confirm the declared capabilities of this advanced jet in real combat conditions."

The Su-57 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter designed to destroy all types of air targets, hitting enemy ground and naval targets. The plane’s armament will particularly include hypersonic missiles.