(VOVworld) – The Russian Defense Ministry has rejected rumors of setting up another military base at Shayrat military airfield in Syria’s Homs province.
Su-24 bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria.
Photo: Dmitriy Vinogradov / Sputnik
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Major General Igor Konashenkov, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said it takes only a 30-40 minute flight to reach the furthest Syrian location from the Khmeimim military airfield, so there is no need to establish a new base.
He said foreign media spread the rumor to distract the public from an action by Turkey that Russian President Vladimir Putin described as a "stab in the back" committed by "accomplices of terrorists".
On Tuesday, Russia targeted the IS stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, cruise missiles launched from a submarine in the Mediterranean Sea.