WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2022) Commander of US Air Force Central Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said Monday that Russia has moved to behave "more aggressively" in Syria since the beginning of its special military operation in Ukraine.
"The Russian presence in Syria has become, I would argue, more aggressive since the Ukrainian invasion," Grynkewich said during an Air & Space Forces Association conference.
The new Russian posture in Syria can be explained by Moscow's alleged military failures in Ukraine coupled with Russian generals striving to regain a favorable standing within the Russian armed forces, Grynkewich said.
The US forces in Syria note an increased pressure in air and on the ground from Russian forces and the Pentagon finds it "a bit concerning," Grynkewich noted.
Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Moscow is ready for contacts with the US on Syria.
On September 17, 45 fighters of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia) were killed in a Russian airstrike in Syria's Idlib province, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria Maj. Gen. Oleg Egorov said on Sunday.
