Russia announces more successful weapons tests in Syria

Dec 07, 2020

Photo: A scene from Idlib following Russia's and Assad's 'weapons tests'

Article from 'Syrian TV' news site. Original (in Arabic) below

A senior Russian military official has announced that Russian forces have successfully used Kalashnikov drones in Syria, the latest of a long series of weapons to be ‘tested’ in Syria by Moscow mostly against Syrian civilians, as documented by local and international human rights networks.

Russian state media on Monday quoted the head of the Russian state company, ‘Rostec’, Sergei Chemezov, as saying that "Kalashnikov drones have proved themselves well during the hostilities in Syria."
He claimed that the Kalashnikov UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have participated in combat in Syria, saying of them, "They’ve proven to be effective, and the Ministry of Defense is happy to have them."

"We are not only talking about reconnaissance drones, but also about combat aircraft," Chemzov added.

Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu, confirmed in March of this year that the Russian army has tested 316 new models of weapons in Syria, since Russia’s initial intervention in 2015.

In April, the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, stated that the Russian army had tested a modern battle tank in Syria which will be rolled out to supply Russian forces next year.

In response to a question during a TV interview on whether the Armata T-14 tank had been tested in Syria, Manturov said, "Yes, it is true ... it was in Syria."

The Russian minister explained, “Exactly this type of test is being carried out in Syria, to detect and eradicate all faults in combat conditions, which will help form the final appearance of the tank before it is delivered to the Russian army."

It is noteworthy that, despite its claims that its weapons were accurate in hitting military targets, since its military intervention in Syria, at the end of September 2015, Russia has killed approximately 6,686 civilians (including 1,928 children and 908 women), according to the documentation of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, which has also documented 1,083 attacks against vital civilian centers, including medical facilities, schools, mosques and markets, with Russia also documented as having committed 335 massacres, including use of cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, as well as supporting three of the Assad regime's chemical weapons attacks on civilians.

Original article (in Arabic), published by 'Syrian TV' news site on December 7, 2020, entitled, 'Russia announces the use of the 'Kalashnikov' drone in Syria': https://www.syria.tv/%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D...