Russia turned more aggressive in Syria after Ukraine war

Russia’s presence in Syria has been more aggressive since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Commander of US Air Force Central Command, Lt. Gen Alex Grynkewich said on Tuesday.

In a panel at the Air and Space Forces Association’s 2022 Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland, US on Monday, Grynkewich said that was concerning for the US military, who “has forces on the ground and armed Russian aircraft fly over them.”

“Your airmen and guardians are in close contact with those Russians every single day, intercepting them, escorting them and making sure our forces on the ground remain safe in Syria and Iraq as they continue the fight against ISIS,” he said. 

Grynkewich explained the new Russian stance in Syria with Moscow's "military failures in Ukraine coupled with Russian generals seeking to regain a better standing within the Russian armed forces." 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Sunday said that Moscow was ready to discuss the situation in Syria with the United States. 

After the Turkish invasion in 2019 of the two cities of Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad in Northern Syria, Russia deployed forces to the region following an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

During the last two years, clashes and scuffles erupted between the US and Russian forces on the ground in northeast Syria.  

900 US soldiers have still been stationed in the area known as the "Eastern Syria Security Area," as part of the international coalition to defeat the extremist group known as the Islamic State.