© TASS/Alexandr Ryumin
"In accordance with a decision by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin Russian Aerospace Forces planes on Wednesday started an operation to deal pinpoint strikes against ground targets of the IS terrorist group in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic," he said. "The Russian Defense Minister, General of the Army Sergey Shoigu has told his counterparts in the Collective Security Treaty Organization that in the course of the military operation in Syria Russian warplanes have been attacking military equipment, communication centers, motor vehicles, and munitions and fuel and lubricants depots of the Islamic State terrorists.
The upper house of Russia's parliament on Wednesday empowered the Russian president to use Russian military outside the national territory. As the chief of the presidential staff Sergey Ivanov explained, the air operation was to be launched against the Islamic State in Syria at the request of Syria's president Bashar Assad. Earlier, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not be involved in operations on the ground.
Russia has informed NATO of Moscow's decision to conduct the operation in Syria, the Russian mission at the alliance said on Wednesday.
"The alliance's leadership was officially informed today about the decision," a mission spokesman said.
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Now we will get to see what an operation looks like when the directors actually mean it. And hopefully, there won't be all the 'oops, we thought the wedding party was a militant group" nonsense. #GoPutin!