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| Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin |
Reuters reports that a top member of the Russian government has hinted that the parliament’s approval is related only to the air force.
Russia has however reportedly been building up its military presence in Syria, according to Reuters. The Russian military is said to be supporting the government forces of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in a conflict that pits him against Islamic State militants and Western-backed rebels.
Sergei Ivanov, the head of the Kremlin administration, said after the vote in the Federation Council, the Russian parliament’s upper chamber: “The Syrian president asked the leadership of our country for military assistance.”
Ivanov however clarified that the approval does not mean that Russian ground forces would be engaged in conflict and that the move referred to the use of the air force only.
“If there will be a united coalition which I doubt, or in the end two coalitions – one American and one Russian – they will have to coordinate their actions,” Ivan Konovalov, a military expert, told Reuters.
During the just concluded 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Putin had stated that Syria was in the best position to provide troops to combat ISIL while President Barack Obama of the United States called for more countries in the US-led coalition to intensify the fight against the terrorists.
There have been some media reports from the Middle East that Russian military jets have already started carrying out air strikes in Syria. The Russian government has however refused to confirm or refute the reports.
It will be recalled that the last time the Russian parliament granted Putin the right to deploy troops abroad, Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine last year.
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