Russians-Syrians Had to React to Turkey’s Strikes on Syrian Army or Throw in the Towel

Turkey releases footage showing it had been inflicting staggering attrition on the Syrians over the past weeks

After suffering 33 KIA in Idlib last night, in what was likely a Russian airstrike (albeit Russia and Turkey are both calling it Syrian) Turkey released footage from its own laser-guided artillery strikes on the Syrian army over the past weeks.

The footage is not pretty. It shows perhaps 80 Syrian tracked vehicles had been destroyed or heavily damaged (and that’s not even counting the two dozen the rebels got with their newly replenished TOW missiles), and hundreds of Syrian troops wounded or killed by Turkish arms.

So it wasn’t merely the case that Turkey and its jihadi allies had recently managed to recapture Saraqib and sever the Damascus-Aleppo highway, but that over the weeks they had been inflicting unsustainable losses on the Syrian army, in particular in equipment.

Actually, it is a small wonder that government forces were able to continue to advance in the face of such attrition.

With that in mind, it becomes clear the Russians and the Syrians were faced with two options:: either allow Turkey to continue to bleed the Syrian army and eventually see the gains of their successful offensive vs al-Qaeda reversed, or else send Turkey a message to knock it off.

The message has been delivered, now let’s see what Erdogan decides.

So far he is — at least rhetorically — doubling down:

Russia isn’t backing down either:

Gone are the days, such as during the loss of the Il-20 surveillance plane during an Israeli strike on Syria, when the Russian military delivered one message, and Putin delivered a much softer one. Now Putin’s spokesman echoes what the Ministry of Defense said down to a T:

In other words: ‘you were intermingled with terrorists, you have nothing to complain about’.

Putin also continues to make it a point to point out he is not the one ringing Erdogan:

Nonetheless, now that a message had been delivered Kremlin conceded a meeting between the two could be fruitful:

They agreed to step up the corresponding interagency consultations and to examine the possibility of soon holding a meeting at the highest level.

But it certainly won’t be the Turkey-Russia-Berlin-France format Erdogan had in mind.

Turks are even more bullish on such a meeting, where the Russians are merely “examining the possibility”, for the Turks an agreement to meet already exists in principle:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation agreed to meet face to face soon, Turkey’s communications director said on Friday. 

February 23
February 27
18 Comments
  1. Garry Compton says

    How many countries signed up to fight Terrorism – 70 ? Where are they? Where are the 40 countries for Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, that signed up? Well, Come on – it’s Time. I guess it’s one for all and all for one , but that only means that NATO and its countries are the ones, who are the –Terrorists. And they have a 70 member – following.

  2. Pampi Ta says

    Don’t get why Russia doesn’t give weapons to the PKK…

  3. Undecider says

    Turkey feels emboldened as they have American and Israeli backing them. Russia is being cautious to ramp things up as it will widen the conflict. Imagine if Russia began carpet bombing the area. What would the American reaction be?

    1. Murmele says

      Send the Ukrainians into Donetsk and Luhansk while conducting the biggest NATO exercise on Russian borders. Maybe?

      1. rightiswrong rightiswrong says

        The Ukis have been trying to enter Donetsk and Luhansk for years, and failed miserably.

        It will take more than a US order for that to happen, with a resurrected Nazi zombie army, they might have a small chance of success.

  4. cechas vodobenikov says

    turkey plays a losing hand—their bluffing is ignored. apparently they take their cues from the amerikans that have left them out in the cold…Syrian airspace is controlled by Syria w Russian support. turks r aware that they cannot challenge Russia directly–only through their jihadi US funded proxies…the idiots that attribute this to Israel (see some childish comments below) drink too much racist kool aid…incrementally, Turk/amerikan influence is being eroded as their proxies senselessly sacrifice themselves for the virgins in in Ankara’s heaven

  5. freewheelinfranklin543 says

    Putin has no killer instinct. The Israeli’s regularly piss on him and now Erdogan is crapping all over him.

    1. Tipene Mokaraka-Hiriwa says

      Putin knows that he can legally contain the theatre within the bounds of the sovereign state of Syria.. Turkey have no support in Syria from NATO as they have blatantly invaded.. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that..

    2. Robert Mcconnell says

      It looks that way, to the western mind.

  6. Jesus says

    Turkish artillery batteries are going to support the terrorists, why not send them a direct message and destroy couple of them using laser guided artillery and attribute it to the Syrians. Destroying a dozen SPG’s along with their ammo vans would signal “” cut it off, if not more to come””” Russia cannot allow Turkey to influence the outcome of battles without holding Turkey liable. After all this is a war between HTS and Al Queda and the Syrians.

    1. Robert Mcconnell says

      Obviously Turkey is the gift that keeps on giving, to the zio dogs.

      1. Jesus says

        I a, not sure Turkey is doing this for the zio dogs. The zios were rather inept or non existent during the reign of the Ottoman Empire

        1. Robert Mcconnell says

          Israel is very quiet through all this. Plus it will be interesting to see whether or not the COVID19 shows up there?

          1. Jesus says

            The problem with conspiracy theories is that they attribute everything to the zios.
            Iran is close to Israel, even if it did they might keep it quiet.

            1. Robert Mcconnell says

              Conspiracy theories? Interesting phrase, especially here.
              The Ziopigs own this planet including you, there’s not much shit going down that cannot be attributed one way or another to international jewry.

            2. Jesus says

              Maybe today, however that was not the case through most of last 2 millenniums.
              Zios do not own Eurasia.

            3. Tipene Mokaraka-Hiriwa says

              There are but a handful of nations remaining that do not have a Zionist owned bank which is the downfall of sovereignty.. Iran and Syria are but two with NK a 3rd.. The conditions of a IMF banking system is ownership of ones state owned resources, govt, judiciary and its people…

        2. Tipene Mokaraka-Hiriwa says

          The Zio’s were very much active during the Armenian genocide as they were the financial masterminds behind the then Ottoman economy. Turkey still under the yoke of the Zio west evident with the agreement to keep Irklik base operational for the US regime.. .. https://russia-insider.com/en/history/real-holocaust-1915-armenian-genocide-and-its-russophobic-origins/ri22877

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