By the numbers: The results of Russia's military op in Syria

Sputnik
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 20:05 UTC

Russian troops have completed their pull-out from Syria after the official end to the anti-terrorist operation announced by Vladimir Putin. As Russia's defense minister presented the final data on Russia's 27 month-long mission at a meeting of an internal military panel on Thursday, Sputnik listened in and summarized the most significant figures.

Pinpoint Precision

Russian Aerospace Forces carried out 34,000 sorties. 100 more strikes were carried out by Russian Navy vessels and subs.

Goodbye Jihadists

60,318 terrorists, including 819 commanders, were killed. 2,840 of the militants killed were Russian-born.

Farewell to Arms

718 clandestine arms factories were destroyed by the Russian military, while the combined efforts with the US and European powers also saw the elimination of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.

Weapons Testing

The operation saw the testing of 215 new weapons systems, allowing for almost 702 bugs to be fixed. It also saw the first military deployment of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.

Prelude to Peace

Russian forces helped liberate 1,024 cities and settlements, while demining units cleared 17,138 buildings and other structures of tens of thousands of pieces of unexploded ordinance.

Comment: Not only that; they saved lives:

At an annual expanded Russian Defense Ministry Board meeting, President Vladimir Putin thanked Russian armed forces and spoke about Moscow's campaign in Syria, Russian army and the development of nuclear triad.

The Russian military has made a major contribution to the defeat of terrorists in Syria, according to Putin.

"In the fight with the global threat of international terrorism Russian servicemen acted courageously, professionaly and efficiently. They showed increased modern capabilities of Russian armed forces," the president pointed out.

Putin praised the success of the Russian campaign in Syria, noting that Russian servicemen have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, preserved country's statehood and paved the way for political resolution.