Russian air defense deployed to Syria along with warplanes – commander
RT.com
5 Nov, 2015
Russia’s Air Force has secured Syrian airspace with air defense missile systems that were delivered and deployed into the war-torn country along with other military hardware, its chief has revealed in an interview.
“We figured out all possible threats in advance, that’s why we brought not only fighter jets, strike-fighters and helicopters, but also air defense missile weapon systems,” Viktor Bondarev, the chief of Russia’s Air Force, told Komsomolskaya Pravda daily, adding that all kinds of force majeure circumstances should be expected.
“Let’s say a warplane is hijacked in a country neighboring Syria, to be used to make an airstrike on (Russia’s Khmeimim airbase near Latakia). Even that is something we must be ready for,” Bondarev said, adding that so far no attacks on the base have been registered and no Russian servicemen have been injured.
The Commander explained why Moscow had opted to deploy its Air Force to Syria.
“ISIS are a very mobile gathering of rabble,” Bondarev said. “They use cars, motorbikes, bicycles and donkeys to move around and change their positions after every strike. You can’t effectively chase them with tanks, trucks and armored vehicles. Aviation is a different story.”
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