Russian Army Conducting Humanitarian Operations in Syria

FILE PHOTO. Unloading Russian EMERCOM plane with humanitarian aid which arrived to Latakia Airport in Syria. © Andrey Stenin / Sputnik

The Russian military is conducting a humanitarian operation in Syria aimed to provide the civilian population with basic needs. A Syrian Ilyushin Il-76 jumbo jet has already delivered the first batch of humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.

Dropping of humanitarian cargo near Deir ez-Zor:

Loading of humanitarian cargo for dropping near Deir ez-Zor:

Although a number of non-governmental organizations have been providing humanitarian aid on Syrian territory, most of the supplies sent have ended up on territories controlled by terrorists.

“The extremists used most of that aid for the supply of [terrorist] gangs,” Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the main operations department of the Russian General Staff, said on Jan.15.

“On top of that, multiple attempts have been registered to deliver arms and munitions, and to evacuate wounded militants under the guise of humanitarian convoys,” he added.

According to the general, these issues led to Russia taking the decision to launch a humanitarian operation of its own in Syria.