Russia: Delivery of New Weapons to Syria and Participation in Ground Operations

It has been nearly two and a half months since Russia's military operation in Syria began, during which the use of air power and cruise missiles against the positions of Assad's opposition groups has been the focus of the Russian army. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, during just one week, from November 26 to December 3, Russian aircraft conducted 431 sorties and bombed the positions of 'terrorist groups' 1458 times in the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor. Russia has utilized its most advanced aircraft and helicopters in its air operations in Syria, including the Sukhoi 30 (NATO name Flanker C), Sukhoi 34 (Fullback), Sukhoi 35 (Flanker E), strategic bombers Tupolev 160 (Blackjack) and Tupolev 95 (Bear), and attack helicopters Mi-25 and Mi-28. Russian officials have always stated that Russian forces in Syria only participate in air operations. However, recent events in Syria, along with evidence and reports, indicate that Russia has changed its strategy and, apart from air support and assistance to Assad's forces in conducting ground operations, has gone further and is directly participating in some ground operations. Undoubtedly, Russia's entry into the Syrian civil war and support for Assad's forces have strengthened their position over the past two and a half months by pushing back some opposition groups. However, according to 'Al-Hadath News' in Lebanon, a news outlet supportive of Hezbollah, Assad's forces in conducting some operations, in addition to close air support from Russia, also benefit from artillery and mortar fire support from Russian units. Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and Eurasia, stated on November 4 to the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee that Russia is now using its ground and artillery units around Hama and Homs, which has increased the vulnerability of its troops to counterattacks from opposition groups. She further stated that the number of Russian soldiers in Syria is now nearly 4,000 and that Moscow spends between $2 to $4 million daily to conduct its air operations in Syria. Following these statements, Reuters reported on November 20 that Russia has deployed at least one artillery brigade between the cities of Hama and Homs. On the same day, Russian state television aired a clip of Vladimir Putin at a briefing at the Russian Ministry of Defense, where the expansion of Russian military operations in Syria was marked on a map. This map indicated that the '120th Artillery Brigade' of Russia is stationed in the city of 'Saddad', located 60 kilometers south of Homs (101 kilometers north of Damascus). Despite this, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, commented on this clip by stating that following Vladimir Putin's previous assertions, Russian ground units are not participating in operations and that Russia only has technical teams in Syria tasked with supporting air operations. Before Russia's entry into the civil war, Syria had hundreds of Russian artillery pieces and has received more advanced weapons from Russia in recent months, including 'MSTA' guns (152mm towed artillery with a maximum range of 28.9 kilometers), 'BM-27' rocket launchers (self-propelled rocket launcher system known as 'Uragan', with 16 launch tubes of 220mm caliber and a range of 35 kilometers), and 'BM-30' rocket launchers (heavy self-propelled rocket launcher system with 12 launch tubes of 300mm caliber and a range of 90 kilometers). The delivery of modern artillery and rocket launchers to Syria and ground support for Syrian units indicates an increased role of Russian officers in planning and executing operations, as well as the reorganization of the Syrian army. The operational doctrine of the Russian army relies more on artillery use compared to Western armies. Some Russian experts believe that a greater reliance on artillery units has yielded positive results in the fight against opposition groups. Recently, Konstantin Sivkov, a military expert, stated in a television interview: 'The deployment of over 300 artillery pieces along a line half a mile long near Hama has greatly assisted the offensive operations of Syrian forces... This method significantly increases ammunition consumption but is very effective for eliminating obstacles and fortifications.' Additionally, last month, General Ali Ayoub, Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army, announced in a brief television program the execution of extensive offensive operations against opposition groups, which will be coordinated and conducted with the Russian Air Force and the participation of the 'Fourth Division'. This new division, which Russia is organizing, training, and equipping, is equipped with advanced weapons, including digital 152mm artillery. The Russian army has also assigned two drones to each battalion of this division, which are directly connected to Russian military satellites. The mission of this division is to fully liberate Idlib province and advance to the mountain ranges overlooking the Syrian coast up to the Turkish borders. The northern outskirts of Aleppo province are also within the operational scope of the Fourth Division. One of the most destructive weapons that Russia has brought to the battlefield and recently demonstrated its use in Latakia province is the 'TOS-1A' or 'Buratino'. This weapon, which is a multiple rocket launcher (MLRS) and is considered the latest model of heavy flamethrowers in the Russian army, is known as the 'Russian Hell'. Each of these rocket systems, mounted on the chassis of a T-72 tank, has 30 tubes for launching 220mm rockets, which have a maximum range of 6000 meters and can be fired all at once within 15 seconds. The characteristics of this system are such that the rockets, upon launch and impact, produce a temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius, affecting the area within several hundred meters of the impact site with devastating thermal and explosive waves. This rocket launcher is a 'thermobaric' weapon that completely incinerates the area surrounding the impact site, making even underground shelters unsafe against it. Such weapons are generally used against infantry in confined and limited areas such as urban regions, in mountainous areas against individuals hiding in caves and shelters, and in open areas against bunkers and fortifications. These types of weapons, aside from their 'thermobaric' feature, are not precise and can cause severe casualties and damage, especially in urban areas. Soviet forces first used this heavy flamethrower in the Panjshir Valley of Afghanistan during the occupation of that country. Subsequently, Russian soldiers utilized this weapon in the 1990s during street battles in Grozny (the capital of Chechnya), turning the city into ruins. The conflict in Syria has provided Russia with a suitable field to test its operational doctrine, military technology, personnel efficiency, and the effectiveness of various weapons and aircraft, a field that has not been present for Russia in the last three decades at this scale. The launch of sea-based and air-based cruise missiles, such as 'Kalibr' and 'Raduga Kh-101', the use of heavy bombers, and the lessons learned will be significant for Russia, especially as Moscow is in the midst of modernizing its army, likely reducing the capability gap between the Russian army and the U.S. and its NATO allies.