The Russian military’s actions in Syria are being coordinated with Russian special services such as the FSB, who are disclosing terrorist cells, including Islamic State, Putin said.
All forces threatening Russian servicemen in Syria should be destroyed, according to the Russian president.
"Any targets threatening our [military] group or land infrastructure must be immediately destroyed," Putin said, speaking at a Defense Ministry event.
Putin said over 5,000 members of the Free Syrian Army are operating on the terrorists’ side.
"In general, the actions of the Russian groups deserve high praise. This is a result of work by the Ministry of Defense, General Staff officers, Russian Air Force pilots and the Russian Navy," he added.
In the meantime, Sergey Shoigu, Russian Defense Minister, added that Islamic State is controlling about 70% of the Syrian territory, adding that in both Syria and Iraq there are about 60,000 militants. This terrorist threat may spread to Central Asia, he said.
Targets threatening Russian forces in Syria must be destroyed - Putin
11 December 2015
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The military operation in Syria is not dictated by geopolitical interests, but is designed to protect the country, said Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that terrorists in Syria are a direct threat to Russia.
