MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. Russian air defense systems downed unmanned aerial vehicles approaching the Russian airbase at Syria’s Hmeymim, Alexander Shcherbitsky, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said on Tuesday.
"At about 22:30 local time on June 22, 2020, Russian air defense systems spotted unmanned aerial vehicles approaching the Hmeymim airbase and the settlement of Jebla in the Latakia governorate. Two militants’ combat drones were downed," he said, adding that no one was hurt and no material damage was done to the Russian base.
"It was established that the unmanned aerial vehicles were launched from the al-Gab valley in the Idlib governorate, a territory controlled by illegal armed groups acting in the Idlib de-escalation zone," he said.
According to Shcherbitsky, the incident was reported to the Turkish side via the joint incident investigation coordination center.
The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.