The Russian Armed Forces have inflicted major damage on terrorists in Syria, which helped facilitate talks between Damascus and opposition, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. 


"[You] caused significant damage to international terrorist groups, their bases, their arms and munitions depots, the equipment and infrastructure. And of course, this facilitated the positive results of all countries which are fighting international terrorism in this case in Syria, and promoted the creation of conditions to continue the peace talks between the Syrian government and the armed opposition," Putin said speaking to Russian servicemen on the Defender of the Fatherland Day. 


Thousands of militants from Russia and former Soviet republics are presently in Syria, Putin said. 


Vladimir Putin congratulated Russian servicemen on the Defender of the Fatherland Day and thanked them for successes in fighting international terrorism in Syria. 


"I want to congratulate you and to thank for the combat work you have done. You have opened a new page in the history of the Russian Navy. And it is not only that the successful campaign was so far and complicated, but since it was challenged by the opposition to our efforts in fight with international terrorism by our so-called partners," Putin said. 


The president said that it was his own initiative to deploy the Russian naval group with aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to Syria. 


A group of Russian warships headed by Admiral Kuznetsov, accompanied by the Pyotr Veliky battle cruiser, the Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov anti-submarine destroyers, the Admiral Grigorovich frigate and support vessels, carried out a counterterrorism operation in Syria starting on November 8. On January 6, Putin ordered to return the group after a new ceasefire was announced. The group returned to their base in Severomorsk on February 8. Russian military said the naval aviation had destroyed 1,252 terrorist targets

Source: NNA