The view from Hmeymim airbase, staging ground for Russia's war in Syria
Story highlights
- CNN's Matthew Chance is at Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, the heart of Russia's air war in Syria
- In 24 hours, 59 combat missions have been flown, killing 320 militants, says Russia Defense Ministry
- Russian defense personnel here believe they have made a strong difference in three-month intervention
Hmeymim airbase, Latakia, Syria (CNN)With
relentless regularity, the Russian warplanes take off from Hmeymim
airbase in Latakia on northwest Syria's Mediterranean coast, the staging
ground for Russia's air war against Islamist terror groups fighting for
control of Syria.
Several
times an hour, the base reverberates with the roar of fighter jets
taking off to pound jihadist rebel groups and support the ground forces
of beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
A Russian warplane at the Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria
Figures
provided by Russia's Defense Ministry, detailing the activity here over
the past 24 hours, give some sense of the intensity of Russia's air
war.
Ambassador: Russia targeting ISIS better than West 05:12
Fifty-nine
combat missions. Two hundred and twelve targets struck. Three hundred
and twenty ISIS militants killed. And more than 100 oil facilities
destroyed.
I'm here for a rare glimpse into the hub of operations for Russia's nearly three-month-old intervention in Syria.
While
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian President Vladimir Putin
met in Moscow this week to discuss a potential political solution to
this grinding civil war in the long term, it is here that Russia
believes it is making a difference on the ground.
And from the Russian defense personnel I've spoken to here, they believe that they're winning.
Russia uses new device in fight against ISIS 01:09
The results of Russia's air war speak for themselves, I was told by a defense official earlier today.
Since
Russia entered the Syrian conflict at the end of September, in response
to a formal request by Syria's government, they have been able to
significantly degrade the capabilities of ISIS and other terror groups,
particularly the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, the official said.
The
progress of such groups in acquiring Syrian territory has been stopped
in its tracks by Russia's air war, the Russians contend.
Compare
that to the efforts of the U.S.-led, Western coalition efforts in
Syria, which began air strikes in September 2014. During that period,
until Russia entered the fray, the territory under the control of such
groups grew significantly, they say.
The S-400 missile system at the Russian Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria
Russia
has been accused by the West of unhelpfully targeting moderate rebels
opposed to Assad, rather than focusing on Islamist terror groups, in
order to configure realities on the ground in Assad's favor, and thus
shore up Russian interests.
Russia's goals, it seems, are twofold.
Prevent any more of the country falling into the hands of terror groups, which Russia views as a threat to its own security.
And strengthen Assad's hand -- and safeguard Russian interests -- should the time for political settlement finally arrive.
Exactly what the endgame will look like remains unclear.
But Russia says its warplanes will be here, continuing their punishing missions, for as long as Assad wants them.
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