NYT: Syrian campaign of Russia, impressed American bureaucrats

Operation in the Syrian Arab Republic shows the power of the Russian army reached because of military modernization, Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the newspaper correspondents Steven Lee Myers and Eric Schmitt.

"Two weeks of air and missile strikes in the Syrian Arab Republic gave the Western intelligence officers and military a broader view of the transformation you have experienced the Russian army during Vladimir Putin's presidency. They showed its ability to conduct operations outside the country's borders, becoming a public demonstration of new weapons, tactics and strategy, " writes the print edition.

Blows were struck as well as among them with the help of su-34, and missiles with wings ship occupancy, issued from the Caspian sea and reaching targets at a distance of over 900 miles, I.e. More than 1400 kilometers. These indicators exceed parameters of the missiles available to the U.S., the authors say.

Russian bombers strike, supporting the advancement of the Syrian troops, and have the opportunity soon to start the cover of the Iranian offensive, which is obliged, apparently, to occur in the Northern province of Aleppo on Wednesday, according to the authors. It points to the "careful planning" of the Syrian campaigns that reflected a little noticed and still incomplete modernization carried out in Russia in the last few years. This, as well as Russia's actions in Ukraine, alarmed the West, the authors say.

experts cite the opinion of a former officer of the Austrian army Gressel Gustav, who in his own report to the European Council of foreign relations said that Putin provides the fastest transformation of the military power of the country since the 1930-ies.

The operation of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic, according to the authors, gave officials and U.S. analysts a better idea about the army, " which for presumably a quarter of a century after the destruction of the Soviet Union was collapsing, a slight force, due to legacy systems and which was swallowed by corruption ".

However, the progress of the armed forces of Russia, manifested not only in arms but also in the increased professionalism and preparedness of the soldiers. The Russian Federation had deployed his main unit at the airbase near Latakia in northwestern Syria in 3 weeks, bringing back more than 40 combat aircraft and helicopters, two dozen tanks and armored vehicles, missile and artillery systems, as well as defense and temporary barracks for 2 thousand soldiers. Such a deployment of troops to the middle East was not with 1970-ies, when the Soviet Union had stationed troops in Egypt, the authors say.

U.S. officials, according to Myers and Schmitt, were impressed with how quickly Russia moved its helicopters and planes to Syria, However, They believe that the potential of the Russian troops was applied only incompletely. In their vision, systems of continuous fire and precision munitions used by the Russian military rather sparingly.


sections: Politics