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Russia redeploys 3 helicopters to Syria’s north to shield military police convoy

Russian helicopters have been carrying out patrol missions along the designated routes in northeastern Syria every day for already a week
Mi-8 helicopter Donat Sorokin/TASS
Mi-8 helicopter
© Donat Sorokin/TASS

MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Three helicopters of Russia’s Aerospace Force have redeployed to the Qamishli airfield in northern Syria to provide cover for military police convoys, the TV Channel Zvezda reported on Thursday.

"The first group of helicopters of Russia’s Aerospace Force has redeployed from Hmeymim to the Qamishli airport. They flew to Syria’s north for about five hours," says the footage posted on the TV Channel’s website.

One transport Mi-8 helicopter and two Mi-35 multirole gunships have already arrived at the aerodrome. Their operations will be covered from the ground by Pantsyr air defense missile/gun systems. Head of the Aviation Commandant’s Office Timur Khodzhayev said that a protective task force would be assigned to the helicopters.

"Military police, special means, vehicles and fuel will be assigned for the purposes of protection to ensure continuous flights. About ten vehicles," he said.

Russian helicopters have been carrying out patrol missions along the designated routes in northeastern Syria every day for already a week. The territory of air patrols is constantly expanding and now the province of Al-Hasakah bordering on Turkey and Iraq has come under their control.

On October 22, Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum on joint actions to resolve the situation in northeastern Syria. Russian military police units and Syrian troops were deployed to areas adjacent to the zone of Turkey’s Operation Peace Spring. Kurdish units were given 150 hours to pull out of the 30-km zone along the Syria-Turkey border, while Russian military police and Turkish troops launched joint patrols in the area.