WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) — The Russian Ministry of Defense reports Russian Navy ships launched cruise missiles Wednesday against Islamic State targets in Syria from the Caspian Sea.
The missiles were fired by the small-sized ships Dagestan, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug, targeting infrastructural facilities in the country. The ships used the Kalibr NK missile system, which Russian officials say was able to engage all targets successfully. The system is capable of engaging targets within a 3-meter margin of error.
The Dagestan served as the flagship of the operation. The missile ship has a length of over 100 meters, and displaces about 2,000 tons.
Russian airstrikes in Syria continue to be met with controversy from Western powers and their allies. The White House has been critical of Moscow’s support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, despite the common enemy of the Islamic State, radical Sunni militants also identified as Daesh, and by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL.
Russia has offered to reopen talks with the U.S. on how the two nations could cooperate to defeat IS.
