The Russian Defense Ministry "has questions" about the sudden move of the anti-Daesh coalition to help civilians in Raqqa. "[The only explanation of this] is an aspiration to quickly cover up the tracks of the barbaric bombings of the United States and the coalition's aircraft that have buried thousands of civilians liberated from the Islamic State [Daesh] under the ruins of Raqqa," Russian Defens [...]

As the situation around the decision of the US President on the Iran nuclear deal gains momentum, University of Minnesota Professor of Anthropology and Middle East historian William Beema and Center for Peace & Democracy Director Ivan Eland told Sputnik in an interview what could be behind Trump's steps, and their possible consequences. [...]

The political settlement of the Syrian conflict is hardly possible without taking into account the Kurdish problem and for their part Syrian Kurds wants to further develop relations with Russia as a country that has clear goals in the crisis, Kurdish politician Salih Müslim, ex-chairman of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said. [...]

Russia’s engagement in the Syrian conflict has been very important, including a number of major victories both on the battlefield and on the diplomatic front. At the same time, the US involvement has done more harm than good to the situation, Australian political analyst Tom Anderson told Radio Sputnik. [...]

While airstrikes by the US-led coalition in Syria have only resulted in terrorists seizing ever new chunks of Syrian territory, the Russian military operation, launched in 2016 , has led to a huge military shift turning the tables against the jihadists, an independent British journalist told Sputnik. [...]

September 30 marks the second anniversary of the Russian counterterrorism military operation in Syria. Unlike the efforts by the United States and its international coalition, the Russian campaign in Syria is fully legitimate. It was launched at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Sputnik presents a look into the results of the Russian aerial campaign in Syria after two years   [...]

Russia has provided evidence that Washington is collaborating with ISIS in attack on Russian forces. In one Washington-directed attack, ISIS tried to capture 29 Russian military policemen. However, Russian special forces entered the fray, and the result was spectacular losses for ISIS. In another Washington-directed attack, Russian General Valery Asapov and two Russian colonels were killed in an [...]

Don’t laugh or adjust your sets. Donald Trump really is going ahead with a new military campaign in Afghanistan, despite an army of experts telling him it will only worsen matters. All he needs now is a Hollywood scriptwriter and Alec Baldwin. [...]

Russian military personnel have built a bridge across the Euphrates River, not far from the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor, in less than 48 hours despite coming under constant shelling, a Ministry of Defense official said. [...]

The Russian Ministry of Defense has released aerial images which they say show US Army special forces equipment north of the town of Deir er-Zor, where ISIS militants are deployed. US Army special units provide free passage for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through the battle formations of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists, the ministry said in a statement.   [...]

Surprising as it may be to the US, their staunch NATO ally Turkey is listing the American-made warplanes and missiles it says are vulnerable to the Russian-made S-400 SAMs it has just bought. An infographic published on Wednesday by the state-run Turkish news agency Anadolu details the components of an S-400 battalion and the system’s capabilities. Half of the picture shows aircraft the system � [...]

The advances of the Syrian army that resulted in the lifting of the three-year siege of Deir ez-Zor marked a real "peak of excitement" both for civilians and the troops, its governor has told RT. Islamic State terrorists resisted harshly to not give access to the city, which was "suffering in darkness." [...]

The US had to step back from its policy of regime change in Syria after multiple failures, as the jihadists they allegedly hoped to use as a proxy began posing a threat, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Naim Kassem, argued in an interview to RT. [...]

Earlier this week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that Tehran may pull out from the nuclear deal if the United States continues its policy of sanctions against Iran. Experts reached by Sputnik, however, do not believe that Tehran will go that far. [...]

The Turkish Stream gas pipeline project will be implemented on time, regardless of the new US law that expands sanctions against Moscow, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Friday. Novak explained that the contracts concerning the construction of the gas pipeline were concluded, and the construction was underway. [...]

The relationship between Turkey and the EU are further deteriorating, Dr. Rainer Rothfuss, geopolitical analyst and consultant, told RT. Rainer Rupp, publicist and former German intelligence officer, also joins the conversation. Turkish President Recep Erdogan urged nearly 3 million German Turks not to cast their vote for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, Martin Schulz’s Socia [...]

Members of the Russian upper house have stated that the 16-year US military campaign in Afghanistan had ended in failure and reiterated a call for Washington to withdraw troops from that country. “George Bush Junior started the war, Barack Obama promised to end it but never did it. [...]

Damascus called on the UN Security Council to "stop the US-led coalition's crimes against Syrian citizens," a statement issued by the Syrian Foreign Ministry said. Syria calls again on the UN Security Council to fulfull its obligations for the sake of peace and security, and to stop the crimes of the US-led coalition against Syrian citizens," the document read. [...]

The discovery of toxic agents manufactured by US and UK companies in the territories liberated from terrorists has once again revealed the hypocrisy of the US-led coalition, Ammar Waqqaf, a Middle East expert told Radio Sputnik, adding that it is not the first time jihadists have been spotted using poisonous substances in Syria. [...]

A temporary agreement on establishing a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Iran may be signed in 2017, Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Board Tigran Sargsyan said Monday. [...]

A CIA whistleblower and ex-Marine Corps captain are among the outspoken leaders of a campaign to stop the US bombing of Syria before a “nuclear apocalypse” erupts out of the conflict with Russia. The National Press Club in Washington, DC on Tuesday hosted a conference of five speakers opposed, morally and legally, to US intervention in Syria, especially the use of US warplanes and drones. & [...]

Iran has resumed oil swap operations in the Caspian Sea in a bid strengthen the country’s strategic position in the region, local Mehr news agency reported Monday. An oil tanker arrived to Neka terminal earlier in the month to discharge oil for swapping purposes for the first time in seven years, the Iranian Petroleum Ministry was cited as saying by Mehr. [...]