Russian Warplanes Fly over Idlib on Syrian Revolution’s Anniversary

Demonstrations in Idlib marking the eleventh anniversary of the start of the protests in Syria (Reuters)
Demonstrations in Idlib marking the eleventh anniversary of the start of the protests in Syria (Reuters)
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Russian Warplanes Fly over Idlib on Syrian Revolution’s Anniversary

Demonstrations in Idlib marking the eleventh anniversary of the start of the protests in Syria (Reuters)
Demonstrations in Idlib marking the eleventh anniversary of the start of the protests in Syria (Reuters)

For the second day in a row, Russian warplanes cruised the skies of de-escalation zones in northern Syria. They flew over areas run by Syrian factions loyal to Turkey in northern Aleppo, stirring civilian fears of Russian raids returning as cities in northwestern Syria celebrate the 11th anniversary of the Syrian revolution.

“Over the course of 48 hours, about 40 sorties were carried out by Russian fighters over Idlib governorate and the countryside of Hama, Latakia and Aleppo, which are under the control of Turkey-backed Syrian opposition factions in northwestern Syria,” Idlib-based activists reported.

According to activists, about eight Russian reconnaissance planes flew over the airspace of Jabal Al-Zawiya in southern Idlib and the Al-Ghab Plain, west of Hama and the western countryside of Aleppo.

The fly over of Russian warplanes raised civilian fears of a return to the Russian escalation and casualties.

Col. Mustafa Bakour, a defected officer from the regime forces, said that there are several explanations for the Russian air activity in the airspace of opposition-controlled areas.

Firstly, the Russians could be training new pilots after most of those trained at Syria’s Hmeimim airbase were transferred to Ukraine.

Secondly, Russia could be sending the West a message that it is prepared to step up its operations in Syria if Western countries continue to support Ukraine.

Thirdly, the flyovers could be a warning to Turkey which had supplied Ukraine with Bayraktar TB2 warplanes.

Finally, the Russians might be sending a message to the Syrian opposition that the revolution has been defeated and that President Bashar al-Assad is the ruler of the country with Moscow’s backing.

The colonel did not rule out Russian warplanes staging raids to back these messages and turn them into a serious threat.



More Than 4 Million Refugees Have Fled Sudan Civil War, UN Says 

Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on the Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on the Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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More Than 4 Million Refugees Have Fled Sudan Civil War, UN Says 

Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on the Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on the Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)

The number of people who have fled Sudan since the beginning of its civil war in 2023 has surpassed four million, UN refugee agency officials said on Tuesday, adding that many survivors faced inadequate shelter due to funding shortages.

"Now in its third year, the 4 million people is a devastating milestone in what is the world's most damaging displacement crisis at the moment," UN refugee agency spokesperson Eujin Byun told a Geneva press briefing.

"If the conflict continues in Sudan, thousands more people, we expect thousands more people will continue to flee, putting regional and global stability at stake," she said.

Sudan, which erupted in violence in April 2023, shares borders with seven countries: Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Libya.

More than 800,000 of the refugees have arrived in Chad, where their shelter conditions are dire due to funding shortages, with only 14% of funding appeals met, UNHCR's Dossou Patrice Ahouansou told the same briefing.

"This is an unprecedented crisis that we are facing. This is a crisis of humanity. This is a crisis of ... protection based on the violence that refugees are reporting," he said.

Many of those fleeing reported surviving terror and violence, he added, describing meeting a seven-year-old girl in Chad who was hurt in an attack on her home in Sudan's Zamzam displacement camp that killed her father and two brothers and had to have her leg amputated during her escape. Her mother had been killed in an earlier attack, he said.

Other refugees told stories of armed groups taking their horses and donkeys and forcing adults to draw their own family members by cart as they fled, he said.