Drone attack on Russia’s Syrian airbase was elaborate Pentagon operation

TASS

A drones’ attack on Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in Syria in January this year was the Pentagon’s comprehensive multi-purpose operation, Editor-in-Chief of National Defense journal Igor Korotchenko told TASS on Thursday.

The United States pursued specific military, reconnaissance and political goals, believing that Russia wouldn’t find it out, the chief editor stressed.As Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said at a plenary session of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on security earlier on Thursday, the drones that attacked Russia’s Hmeymim airbase in Syria were operated from the US Boeing P-8 Poseidon-8 reconnaissance plane.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin

When the drones met with electronic countermeasures of the Russian systems, they switched to the mode of manual guidance from the Poseidon-8 plane, he said."This was the Pentagon’s comprehensive operation," Korotchenko said."They pursued several goals. Naturally, they proceeded from the fact that we would not find it out," the National Defense chief editor noted."There were three such goals: uncovering the Russian air defense system in Syria, carrying out radio-electronic reconnaissance and inflicting real damage on our servicemen in Syria," Korotchenko said."The first goal was to see how well our bases in Syria are protected from such threats as a massive attack by light drones. Correspondingly, this was aimed at revealing strong and weak points in our air defense system in Syria," the expert pointed out.In the expert’s opinion, the second goal was to carry out electronic reconnaissance."At the moment when our air defense systems and electronic warfare measures were activated, the goal was to uncover this grouping and try to understand the parameters of irradiation and the combat modes of operation. An electronic warfare plane was in the air and US ground-based radio-electronic reconnaissance systems in the nearby Middle East countries were involved," the chief editor noted.Read alsoRussian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander FominUS reconnaissance plane operated drones that attacked Hmeymim — defense officialThe Americans could have also derived political advantages, if the operation had been successful, the expert said."Another task was to try to cause real damage to us. If the attack had crowned with success, the Americans could have expected political consequences, such as the costs of our image. This could have been used for weakening our geo-political positions," the expert noted. 

Consequences and counter-measuresRussia is not engaged in "whipping up tension," the expert said. The facts announced by the Russian deputy defense minister have been confirmed, he added."It is obvious that the statement was made after the Russian reconnaissance and the Defense Ministry received a 100% proof of what was announced by [Deputy Defense Minister] Fomin. As soon as all this was confirmed, this was immediately announced and that is why this does not mean ‘instigating tension,’" Korotchenko said.According to the expert, Russia is well aware of what the Americans are doing."This means that they are controlling some terrorist groupings that are operating in their interests… Such things are not announced groundlessly. These are very serious issues and therefore, if such accusations were announced, this means that they were absolutely confirmed," the expert pointed out.Now Russia is expecting "the Pentagon’s reaction, the expert said.As for counter-measures, they have already been taken in military terms, he added."The drones’ flights have ended in nothing," he said.

Drones’ attack on HmeymimTerrorists carried out the first massive drones’ attack on Russia’s Hmeymim airbase and its Tartus logistics support facility in Syria on January 6. The attack was successfully repelled. Seven drones were shot down and the Russian forces managed to gain control of six other unmanned aerial vehicles with the help of electronic warfare measures.

Russian Defense Ministry specialists carried out a detailed analysis of the drones’ design and capabilities. Head of the Russian General Staff’s Office for UAV Development Major-General Alexander Novikov said that the drones launched by terrorists to attack Russian facilities in Syria overnight to January 6 were used for the first time.According to the general, the Defense Ministry experts have been able to decipher the data from the drones seized by the Russian forces in Syria and get data on their programed and real flight routes and the points of dropping munitions. The drones’ study showed that they could not be developed and made in an improvised manner.Lieutenant-General Kenneth McKenzie from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff claimed at a news briefing for journalists at the time that the United States had no relation to the drones’ attack on the Russian bases in Syria.

We're going to flashback to the January attack- When for some reason there was an alternative media push on to blame Turkey for this incident? Even though Putin stated specifically Turkey was not involved. Which left me questioning what party had the motivation to blame Turkey??

Putin: Drone Provocateurs Known, Turkey Uninvolved. Intercepted Ship Update

 I'd noticed a couple of days ago- there was an alternative media push suggesting Turkey had been behind the drone attack. The claim was the impetus for my use of translate for the Kommersant article.. which was linked to an alt site claiming Turkey was behind the attack. Except when I read the kommersant article ,'cause that's the way I do things here, there was nothing to substantiate this claim.

 Putin laid it all out so specifically. That spreading disinfo seemed to be the only objective the alt media had to be striving for. (Mockingbird media/Israel influence) Sowing distrust was what the attackers were going for!Putin's own words at that time:

 "There were provocateurs there but they were not Turks, we know who was that… We know, how much and whom they have paid for this provocation," Putin said.

 "Firstly, these are provocations aimed at the collapse of the earlier reached agreements. Secondly, that is also an attempt to destroy our relations with partners — Turkey and Iran. We clearly understand that and therefore we will show solidarity," Putin said.

RT: US Spy Plane Controlling Drone Attack on Russian Airbase

 The Kremlin has said it is concerned about the report by Russia’s Defense Ministry say that a US spy plane was actually in control of a drone attack on Russia's Khmeimim air base in Syria back in January.“This is undoubtedly a very alarming report,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said. He made clear that the military have analyzed all available data and have drawn necessary conclusions before saying that the drone attack on the Russian air base was directed from a US P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane.All further details will be provided by the Defence Ministry.But President Vladimir Putin may raise the issue with the US counterpart Donald Trump when such possibility arises.Kremlin's response comes after Colonel General Alexander Fomin, the deputy Defense Minister, had reportedly addressed the January drone attack during the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, a high profile conference on defense and security.

According to the top defense military official, thirteen unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had approached Russia’s Khmeimim base at the time the Poseidon plane was traversing skies over the Mediterranean. When Russian electronic countermeasures were turned on at Khmeimim, the drones continued their flying mission in manual mode.He said the drones were not manned “by some peasant,” they were flown from “a standard, well-equipped P-8 Poseidon” which had manual control over the UAVs in question.

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