Russia Launches Cruise Missiles From Submarine On Syria

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Yesterday (Tuesday), Russia launched a barrage of new air and missile strikes against ground targets in Syria. While this has been going on since September 30th, the start of Russia’s campaign in Syria, this is the first time a Russian Navy submarine took part in the strikes. The Kalibr cruise missiles launched by the Rostov-on-Don submarine successfully hit the designated targets in Raqqa, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin. The submarine was in a submerged position during the launch, he added.

Shoigu added that Russian strikes launched yesterday had been aimed at ‘two terrorist strongholds’ around Raqqa, the de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State jihadist group.

President Putin said that the Caliber cruise missiles launched from the submarine could be equipped with nuclear warheads but said he hoped they would ‘never be needed in the fight against terrorism’.

Shoigu said Moscow had warned Israel and the United States – both of which are conducting their own bombing campaigns in Syria – about the upcoming submarine strikes. An anonymous US defense official confirmed that Russia has indeed given notification prior to the launch.

Shoigu said Tu-22 bombers flying from their base in Russia also took part in the latest raids, performing 60 combat sorties in the last three days.

Since the beginning of the campaign on September 30th, Russia has been using warplanes at an airbase in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia, as well as navy ships and long-range bombers flying from their bases in Russia. While Moscow said its action has been focused on the Islamic State group, the U.S. and its allies have criticized Moscow for also striking moderate rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.