Russia sends weapons and military experts to Syria

(Vatican Radio)  Russian forces have reportedly begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s government troops.

Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:

United States officials said that Russia has recently sent two amphibious tank landing ships and additional cargo aircraft to Syria, deploying around 100 Russian naval infantry troops within the past few days.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman confirmed the claim, saying the delivery is nothing new since Moscow has been openly supplying weapons and military experts to Syria for a long time.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said "I'm concerned about reports about the increased Russian military presence in Syria; that will not contribute to solve the conflict.  I think it's important to now support all efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. We support very much the efforts by the UN."

Russia has been a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s 4-year old civil war.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Wednesday to warn that Russian involvement in Syria could provoke more violence in a conflict which has killed at least 240,000 people.