Russia 'Killed Close to 10,000' After Year in Syria: Monitor

Idlib airstrikes
Civilians and civil defense members carry an injured woman on a stretcher in the Syrian city of Idlib, May 30. A human-rights monitor says Russia is behind the airstrikes that killed at least 23 people. Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Russia's air force has killed close to 10,000 people in Syria over the past year, a third of whom were civilians, a U.K.-based monitoring group has alleged.

Russia officially began its campaign a year to the day on Friday and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights marked the date by publishing a summary of its monthly casualty reports from the past 12 months. The total death toll reached 9,364.

According to the monitoring group 3,804 Syrian civilian citizens were killed by Russian airstrikes, 906 of whom were children and 561 women.

While Russia has never revealed a comprehensive list of the militant groups it is targeting in Syria, according to the group's casualty count, Moscow has killed 2,746 extremists from Islamic state (ISIS) and 2,814 militants from other groups including Islamist and disparate rebels.

The latter figure includes the Fath al-Sham Front, formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, as well as the Islamic Turkestan Party and other less prominent militant groups.

The Russian Ministry of Defense was not immediately available for comment, however officials have previously denied airstrikes had caused any collateral or civilian casualties.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


I am a Staff Writer for Newsweek's international desk. I report on current events in Russia, the former Soviet Union ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go