The War in Syria

The war in Syria began in 2011 as a civil conflict into which demonstrations in this Middle Eastern country escalated during the "Arab Spring".

From the summer of 2011, opposition-minded servicemen and defectors formed combat units called the Free Syrian Army, which launched an insurgent campaign against the Syrian regular army.

In 2013, the number of parties to the war grew – the "Islamic State" intervened in the conflict. After several unsuccessful attempts to establish peace, the USA, France, Turkey and Russia resorted to bombing various opposing forces.

Moscow sent its aircraft and troops to Syria in 2015 in support of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

In April 2017, Syrian government forces carried out a chemical attack in Idlib province. In response, the USA launched a missile strike on a military base in Homs, where, among others, Russian aircraft were based.