The Russian Navy is reportedly scheduled to launch firing drills off the coast of Syria on Wednesday amid fears of an imminent U.S. airstrike against Syria following a suspected chemical attack.
Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon said the Russian military would shoot down U.S. missiles and target launch sites if the U.S. attacked Syria on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump later directly warned Russia that missiles were “coming” to Syria after blaming Damascus for an alleged deadly gas attack in the town of Douma.
The Cyprus civil aviation department’s news bulletin listed an area off the coast of Syria as the location of Russian Navy firing exercises scheduled to start on Wednesday, April 11.
“Russian Navy exercise (rocket test firings) will take place in the area,” reads the Cyprus department of civil aviation’s navigation warning bulletin.
The drills are scheduled to close air traffic service routes around the area for eight hours on both April 11 and April 12, the bulletin said.
The Russian Defense Ministry, which maintains a naval base in Syria and according to Interfax currently boasts a task force of 15 warships and auxiliary ships in the eastern Mediterranean, has not officially announced the exercises.
The ministry said on Wednesday that it was closely watching the situation around Syria and was aware of the movements of a U.S. naval force in the area.
In an apparent response to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about a possible U.S. missile attack on Syria, the ministry also said in a statement that Washington would do better to rebuild the destroyed Syrian city of Raqqa rather than talk about its readiness to carry out such strikes.
Meanwhile, Russian deputies have arrived to Syria for meetings with the country’s leadership, disputing reports that Syria’s president had fled the country in anticipation of the expected U.S. attack.
“Syrian President Bashar Assad is in Damascus, we plan to meet him,” the state-run TASS news agency quoted State Duma deputy Dmitry Sablin as saying Wednesday.
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
