Russian Federation conducts third day of ‘massive’ Syria strikes

Russia’s aerial campaign in Syria is being used to test weapon systems that have not previously been employed under combat conditions – including the Raduga Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile.

The Islamic State group said it had bombed the Russian jet in Egypt in retaliation for the bombing raids.

Russian Federation is pounding the Islamic State jihadists (IS, formerly known as ISIS or the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq) in Syria with bombs emblazoned with the words “For our people” and “For Paris” after Moscow vowed vengeance following the bombing of a plane over Sinai.

The Russian military has destroyed numerous oil facilities and tankers controlled by ISIS in Syria, sharply cutting its income, Russia’s defense minister said Friday.

The Russian fleet in the Caspian Sea has launched 18 cruise missiles, hitting seven terrorist targets in Syria on Friday, Russian Defense Minster Sergey Shoigu has reported to President Vladimir Putin. He says this deprived IS of $1.5 million in daily income from oil sales.

French President Francois Hollande is set to travel to Washington and Moscow next week for talks on joint military action against IS, and Putin already has ordered the military to cooperate with the French “like with allies”.

In this photo made from video released from Russian Defense Ministry official website on Friday, November 20, 2015, a Russian Air Force Tu-22M3 bomber drops bombs on a target in Syria as part of a Russian air campaign against targets in Syria, according to information provided by Russian Defense Ministry.

Strategic bombers flying over Russian territory unleashed 12 cruise missiles at Islamic State group targets including warehouses and command posts in the Idlib and Aleppo provinces as they launched their “third massive air strike”, the defence ministry said in a statement.