Local Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin considered that terrorists in Syria pose a direct threat to Russia, adding at a defense meeting in Moscow that any targets threatening the country's military there should be destroyed.

For his part, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said "ISIS's" influence in Syria keeps expanding.

In parallel, Putin stated that the Russian military's actions in Syria are being coordinated with Russian special services such as the Federal Security Service [FSB], who are disclosing terrorist cells, including "ISIS."

"Any targets threatening our [military] group or land infrastructure must be immediately destroyed," according to the Russian president.

In addition, Putin said: "In general, the actions of the Russian groups deserve high praise. This is a result of work by the Ministry of Defense, General Staff officers, Russian Air Force pilots and the Russian Navy."

In a related context, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu informed that "ISIS" controls about 70% of Syria's territory, adding that in Syria and Iraq there are about 60,000 militants.

"ISIS's" area of influence is expanding," he said, "There is a threat that their actions will be transferred to Central Asia and the Caucasus."

Until the moment, the Russian military carried out about 4,000 sorties, striking around 8,000 terrorist facilities in Syria.

Drones proved a necessary part of the military operation against the terrorists, according to Shoigu, uncovering that Moscow has an about 1,720 drones at its disposal.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team