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Conflict in Syria

Militants attempt drone attack on Russian airbase at Syria’s Hmeymim

No one was hurt and no material damage was done to the airbase, which is operating in a routine mode

© Marina Lystseva/TASS

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Militants of illegal armed groups attempted to stage a drone attack on the Russian airbase at Syria’s Hmeymim, Major General Yuri Borenkov, chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, told reporters on Monday.

"After dark on December 22, 2019, militants of illegal armed groups attempted to stage an attack on the Russian airbase at Hmeymin with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. At 23:02, Russia air defense systems spotted and downed two drones approaching the Russian airbase from the southeast," he said.

According to Borenkov, no one was hurt and no material damage was done to the airbase, which "is operating in a routine mode."

He also said that the Russian military police conducted patrol mission along six routes in the al-Hasakah and Aleppo governorates and the air taskforce conducted aerial patrolling along two routes in northern Syria.

Apart from that, in his words, 29 settlements in the Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Idlib governorates came under shelling by militants of illegal armed groups during the day.

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.

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Syrian conflict

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