Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that he would strengthen his naval forces off the coast of Syria with advanced missiles.
According to the Sputnik network, Putin said during a military conference that "due to the threat of international terrorist attacks, our vessels carrying Kalibr missiles will enter into ongoing service".
Putin went on to say that the number of ships and submarines present in Mediterranean waters would rise to 102 during the current year, and that they would be carrying Kalibr cruise missiles.
He added that "terrorists have suffered great losses from the strikes carried out by these cruise missiles, and from the effectiveness of our air forces stationed on off-shore carriers. Terrorist bases and infrastructure have been substantially degraded".
The Russian military has used these missiles to strike militant targets in Syria since its intervention in the country in October 2015. Russia takes the stances that all militant opposition to the Syrian government is "terrorist".
The US, France, and UK carried out strikes in mid-April against several government-linked military sites inside Syria, which were said to have links to the regime's chemical weapons program.
Translated By: Alexander Falconer
