Army map suggests presence of Russian artillery unit in central Syria
None
Military chiefs briefing Vladimir Putin on operations in Syria showed him a map with a reference to a unit in the centre of the country that matches a Russian army artillery unit, suggesting the Kremlin's involvement may be deeper than previously thought.
Moscow, which is conducting air strikes in Syria, has repeatedly said Russian troops are not taking part in ground operations. If the unit is part of the Russian military, it would mean Russian forces are operating well outside the zone where Moscow says its troops are present. The map was shown on Russian state television footage of a briefing at Defense Ministry headquarters on Tuesday evening, when Putin was being shown how the Kremlin was intensifying its operations against Islamic State.
