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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the National Defense Forces (NDF), Liwa al-Quds and other pro-government units are advancing on the ISIS-held areas of Arak and the T3 airbase in the Palmyra countryside.
On Monday, the SAA, the NDF and others reached the eastern vicinity of the Arak village and deployed in a striking distance from the T3 airbase.
These operations are aimed at setting up a foothold for a push in the direction of Deir Ezzor as well regaining the Arak gas field that is important site for the Syrian energy system.
At the same time, government forces have been developing a momentum in the northeastern Homs countryside, aiming to recapture the village of Huwaisis from ISIS. Huwaisis is located at the important road linking the cities of Salamiyah and Palmyra.
Government forces are advancing on Arak:
All activities work well in this region. T3 will be used for helicopters to hunt the rest of ISIL units towards Deir Ezzor and the ARAK fields will help Syria to stabilize its energy problems (after reinstallation, I guess ISIS will blow up what they can).
Wahid Algiers
“…T3 will be used for helicopters to hunt the rest of ISIL…”
Who will supply the replacement helicopters?
There were approx 9 Russian Military controlled helicopters which were pulled out in advance of IS arriving at T3 which allowed it to fall.
Since Tillerson – Trump meeting, Putin – Russia is doing the MINIMUM in supporting the Syrian Military.
At the present Syria and its allies could be very content with the support of the Russians in Homs and Hama countryside and the tricky show to get the border of Iraq.
Wahid Algiers
Partly agreed, but not as far as Al Tanf is involved, zero Russian air defence support for the Syrian military.
Still need to know about, who will supply the replacement helicopters for T3?
Russia gives nothing gratis, Syria will have to pay or Iran on its behalf.
Its better if Iran manufactures Military Helicopters and these are sent over to Syria.
You make some good points. I disagree though on Russia’s ability to furnish Syria with the necessary hardware. Russia knows they are under assault economically…Going into debt to furnish hardware to another country would tax their economy, even as it has slowed some development of home systems. Yes, Russia’s economy is stable compared to the west, but we are at point where anything can happen. In my view, the Russians are being pragmatic. It may, at some point come to be that Russia might have to increase military supplies…but things seem to be going as well as expected, especially when one adds in the Astana talks. As for providing support to the Syria army, they do very well. They don’t in Al Tanf because they are not there to fight the western forces…only ISIS. This is semantics, I know, as ISIS is the US. But expanding or creating an atmosphere of increased presence is what the west is wanting. So far Putin has been very good at out maneuvering the west. The helicopters you mention…???…Egypt has in the past mentioned willingness to supply a small number…don’t know where that is plan is at though. If I had the right to name a weapon that I think the Syrians should have, it would be Russian manpads…but I fear the Russians think it would help provoke the ISIS cabal into doing something stupid. BTW, the US charges for it’s weapons too, with usuary added to boot.
zman
Russia does not help Syria because it wants continuous chaos, death and destruction in Syria to stop the Saudi Qatar oil and gas pipeline to Turkey.
Russia already has S300 / S400 operating in Syria but refuses to shoot down Israeli jets bombing Damascus or US jets bombing Al Tanf convoys.
It will not cost US$ Billions to give air defence cover to the Syrian Military convoys approaching Al Tanf or protect Damascus or protect Palmyra.
Considering that economically Russia ranks on par with a big European country like France, is under sanctions and that it lacks the means to sustain a major foreign military operation that far from home indefinitely I suspect that Russia is doing the most it can do within the means and limitations that it has.
The days of the USSR are long gone.
Barba_Papa
The part you missed out is that Russia is doing well economically and could help Syria militarily but does not because it wants Syria kept destabilized.
The Russian Federation’s economy is forecast to become the largest in Europe by 2030. (Price Waterhouse Cooper 2050 Report).
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/the-economy/assets/world-in-2050-february-2015.pdf
Currently the Russian Federation has minimal debt to zero debt. and is accumulating cash which is currently US$400 Billion as at 21 April 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-exchange_reserves
In addition Russia continues to increase its Gold Reserves which are 5th largest in the world.
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/russia/gold-reserves
Jan 2017 1615.22 Tonnes of Gold
July 2016 1542.66 Tonnes of Gold
July 2015 1275.05 Tonnes of Gold
July 2014 1094.73 Tonnes of Gold
By 2020 Russia will have a balanced budget even if the oil price drops to US$40 p/b. Also Russia has developed economic strategies should the oil price drop to US$30 p/b.
completely unimportant things, you focused on what.
russia is weak, what will be in 2030 nobody knows. also here, in sf wrote, russia is so weak, that delays all military programs.
and the oil price is sinking and sinking …. probably up to 40 usd/b
Solomon Krupacek
Russia is already selling oil at US$40 delivered to EU country for big customers on 3 year / 7 year deal.
Yes, Russia could become weaker but we need to consider it has increasing cash every year, gold reserves, slowly expanding economy, etc.
Its not going to hurt Russia to give air support with S300 . S400 over Al Tanf, the Systema is ready working.
sure russia does not sell oil for 40 usd. they are crying under 50.
You’re spent.
:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Solomon Krupacek
Russia sold 1.2 Billion Barrels of Oil to the EU in 2016 at US$41.65 CIF per Barrel.
The US$41.65 CIF price includes delivery to the destination country.
(CIF value is the price paid for the goods plus the cost of transportation, loading, unloading, handling, insurance, and associated costs incidental to delivery of the goods from the port or place of export in the country of export to the port or place of import in the country)
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Saudi-Arabia-Vs-Russia-The-Next-Oil-Price-War.html
thanks
As is usual for you. Russia is weak? Compared to what country? Economically, they are better off than most of the world(while the US is contracting, Russia is expanding)…militarily they have some of the most advanced weapons, which are delivered on time, on budget and they are steadily adding operational next gen systems. Just because they are not the US, spending god awful amounts for faulty systems that come in way over budget and late, if at all(F-35 for ex.), don’t equate Russia with your notion of what is weak or strong. US status is very over-rated, that’s why they are crying for NATO. Russia also pumps oil and gas cheaper than anyone else, no fracking required. That they don’t have the idea that the US does of guns before butter is not a deficit, but an asset. No, Russia can’t willy nilly run out an build and buy all the weapons Syria needs, but what country could?
economically disaster. you are not ebale produce normal cars, planes (were former, but today no more), phones, electronical goods. you have problem in minery without western technology. read the yearly reports of gazprom ;)
weapons… some good, some very old fashon. and again. desolate industry. not able to porduce in large amounts. also here on SF, 1 year ago was an interesting article, that the russians had to stop use kalibr and reduce bombing, because the industry was naot able to produce in accurate amounts. you plan 200 armatas. fey new planes. in usssr/russia was always the production. you are able to think out (or copy) good things, but not able to produce in large amount. otehrwise, you can build up 10 sarmatas, the gdp will be higher, but the quality of life of citizens not.
finance. now relativly good, but remeber, sanctions endangerged everything. and this was only little thing. until russian mafioso, oligarsch, politicians will put their money in western banks, russia is zero in the world of finance.
so boy, you are laki france, sure no more. and only for that reason, that you have natural resources. but there is noithing, what is russian and massively used in the world. maybe caviar s the only brand. and thsi is dozen times less in comoparison with italy, france. germeny a tell better not.
Solomon Krupacek
Agree with everything you write.
People on the internet don’t experience the real life of people living in Russia.
but i know it ;)
i point only on chronic pain of russian economy. and i see not enough efforts to change it. china did. russia not. if everything will continue in this way, at the end of century russia will be very poor country, collapsed or on verge of collapse.
and until the oligarchs are the rulers of russia, it will not turn to better. this is heritage of tatar system. the same was in tsarism, communism.
Solomon Krupacek
“…chronic pain of russian economy…”
USA, UK have had 100 years plus to develop its economy.
Putin only had 2000 to 2016 and had few years to develop Russian economy, he is old guy and will be gone in 2008 + maybe 6 years.
There will be new President, new chances for the people.
and russia???
this is not argue.
during tsarism, during communism and ALSO NOW are wrong trends.
btw., this is also a russian disease. witing for messaiah. putun is not almaughty, has some good decision, lots of bad. the system should be changed. and putin did nothing in this way. i am businessman, i see theis clearly. putin reformed the army, and here are his personal borders.
Yeah Solomon kaput, how about the new USSA Ronald Reagan carrier years behind schedule and billions over budget and the F-35 Is a $1.4 Trillion Dollar National Disaster, so if Russia is weak the USSA must be dead . Most of Russia’s delays are because of the USSA ordered by its master racist Israel overthrew the elected government in Ukraine and Russia had got a lot of parts from there and that was part of the reason for the coup. So what excuse does the USSA have??
This will be very good news if the Syrian Military can retake Arak and T3.
In future, T3 should house the Syrian Military (includes all allies excluding Russians).
(Palmyra v2) Some facts regarding the fall of T3, it hosted approx 9 Russian Military controlled helicopters which were pulled out in advance of IS arriving at T3 leaving it undefended which allowed it to fall.
The Russian air group allowed approx 4500 terrorists to capture Arak, T3 and Palmyra v2 by driving unhindered across the desert from Mosul region into Syria in December 2016.
The 4,500 convoy of terrorists would have used approx 800 vehicles, “Pickup Trucks”, 6 terrorists per truck.
Not one single truck was targeted whatsoever.by the Russian Air Group whilst the Terrorist convoy drove across approx 250+ Km of highway with no checkpoints and captured Arak, T3, etc.
This indicates that the Russian Military is allowing terrorists to control areas and regions in Syria.
The US did not spot the entire Vietcong and NVA armies massing for the Tet Offensive. The US did not spot hundreds of thousands of Wehrmacht massing for the Ardennes offensive. The US did not spot hundreds of thousands of Chinese army troops massing and moving into Korea during the Korean war. Were those too all indicative of the US military allowing those forces to move into place? History is full of armies being caught with their pants down by enemy attacks. And usually the explanation boils down to incompetence or just not wanting to see the evidence that was right in their faces. Hitler did not want to believe that the Red Army was going to attack Berlin in april 1945 and ignored his generals. Stalin did not want to believe that the Wehrmacht was going to invade Russia in 1941 and ignored his generals.
When I have to bet between incompetence and malice my money is always on incompetence.
Barba_Papa
“…When I have to bet between incompetence and malice…”
As time moves on you will come to learn that Putin operates in the interests of Israel and is a malicious person when it comes to Syria.
Also many SF readers are educated in Economics, Law, Geopolitics, Military Planning, Battleplan, etc in common with members of the Syrian Military and Iranian Military who placed blind trust on the Russian Military.
Vietnam:
The Vietcong operated under huge foliage, rain forest jungle which made it hard for the US airplanes to spot the guerrillas who operated in low tech mode, i.e. without heat creating pickup trucks, etc.
As a result, the US started using Agent Orange to defoliage the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Syria:
The highway from Mosul to Palmyra is open desert, minimal traffic, easy to spot traffic especially a convoy of 800 pickup trucks with no checkpoints for 250 Km plus.
Stalin:
You need to read Soviet history
Stalin had information regarding Nazi planning of Operation Barbarossa but had to make a pact with Hitler in order to buy time as Russia’s military was antiquated and most of its Officer corps had been liquidated by Stalin.
The time bought was used to retrain Russian military and build its infantry, artillery, tanks, air force which ultimately wiped out the Nazis.
The Russians weren’t controlling the airspace between Mosul and Raqqa. It was coalition forces. So, just like with the oil tankers the Russians have spotted as soon as they arrived in Syria in 2015, it’s the coalition forces that have no interest in fighting ISIS. Look at Raqqa now, they let the YPG do the job. The coalition forces have no interest in peace. Instead, they bring more and more different forces into Syria to create as much chaos as possible. Here they support FSA, there ISIS, then YPG etc.NEVER Syria. If the Russians hadn’t helped Syria against Jabath Al Nusra, Jabath Fateh Al Sham, FSA, to keep an eye on the Turks pushing in from the North (hey, remember the Turks shot down a Russian plane in Nov 2015?) AND very much so against ISIS including destroying their oil supply lines, Syria would have been in MUCH more serious trouble now. Chances are, Syria would have ended up like Libya by now. Russia has consistently vetoed a “you don’t fly only we fly zone” and other “humanitarian” efforts such as dropping supplies in Eastern Aleppo to keep those terrorists fighting. It seems a pretty screwed up view to now accuse the Russians of supporting ISIS. show some respect for a country which has stood for world peace despite facing constant political and economical bullying
Rüdiger Preiss
“…The Russians weren’t controlling the airspace between Mosul and Raqqa…”
What about airspace Raqqa to Palmyra?
Not doing anything to the 800 pickup truck terrorist convoy is as good as supporting and helping IS.
Your other points, yes Russia helped Syria properly starting Oct 2015 otherwise the Assad government would have fallen.
Russian support for Syria has reduced after Tillerson – Putin meeting in January 2017.
Things began to improve in Syria only after Russian interference. It’s improving every weak. Who are blaming?