The Russian military said Friday it has downed dozens of drones and rockets launched by militants this year targeting Russia's air base in Syria.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that so far in 2019 the military has shot down 58 drones and 27 rockets that targeted the Hmeimim air base in Syria's Mediterranean province of Latakia.
Konashenkov, speaking to reporters during a trip to Syria organized by the ministry, said the militants have continuously improved their drones, which have a range of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles) and an altitude of up to 4 kilometers (13,123 feet).
He added that while the drones may look primitive, they perform well and are difficult to spot, reported The Associated Press.
"It's quite worrying that the terrorists have obtained the navigation and control technologies that only a few countries possess," Konashenkov said.
He said that most of the drone attacks were launched from Khan Sheikhoun and Latamna in the northwestern province of Idlib. The Syrian regime captured those areas last month following weeks of a sweeping offensive backed by Russia.
Idlib, which lies along the border with Turkey, is the last major opposition stronghold, and the regime onslaught has created friction between Russia and Turkey, which struck a de-escalation agreement for Idlib a year ago.
Turkey protested the offensive as a violation of the deal, while Russia countered that the offensive was necessary to uproot militants who used the area as a base to launch attacks on regime forces and Russia's military base.
Konashenkov said the Russian base is protected by a variety of air defense assets. He said short- and medium-range Pantsyr S-1 and Tor M-2 air defense systems have proven highly efficient against the drones, and the base also has the long-range S-400 air defense systems.
