The Russian army has confirmed the destruction of about 60 drones since the beginning of the year that were destined for its military base in Syria in the area of ​​Hmeimim not far from areas still controlled by opposition fighters and jihadists.
Major General Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces intercepted 58 drones and 27 missiles that would have targeted the military base in Latakia province, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad´s regime in the northwest.
He told reporters on Friday that all attacks had been addressed.
"The (drones) system may seem primitive, but it allows the firing of shells from two kilometers high," he said during a tour organized by Russian forces.
Most of the attacks were in the towns of Khan Sheikhoun and Latamna, which the Syrian army took over in August. But drones have also been launched from other parts of Idlib province, the last stronghold of Syria´s militant and jihadist factions under a shaky understanding between Moscow and Ankara to prevent a large-scale Syrian-led attack.
Russia has deployed two defense systems, the Panzer S1 and Tor M-2, which are interested in intercepting drones as well as the popular S400.
It also deployed in a naval base in Tartous, south of Latakia, the S-300 system.
The Russian brigade that the opposition fighters are constantly developing their drones so that they can target points from a distance of 250 kilometers and flying at a height of 4 kilometers, making it difficult to monitor. Some routers are controlled remotely, while others are fired at specific targets.
On August 11, the Russian base responded to a major attack involving six drones. On 3 September, two drones were confronted.
Since the end of April, the Syrian regime and its Russian ally have intensified aerial bombardment of Idlib province and a number of neighboring areas in the governorates of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.
The strikes killed more than 1,000 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Russia declared a truce at the end of August but remains fragile.
