The Russian Defense Ministry has commented on President Putin's annual state-of-the-nation address to the bicameral parliament, the Federal Assembly, to a large extent devoted to the country's success in the military sphere, reported by Sputnik.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed on Thursday that two Russian fifth generation Su-57 fighter jets were carrying out two-day combat testing missions in Syria.

The statement was made after the Russian Kommersant newspaper reported, citing its military sources, that the Russian fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jets had been deployed to Syria to test radar systems and electronic warfare.

However, the minister called the satellite images of the Su-57 in Syria, previously circulating in the media, fake as the jets were kept in hangars and never stood side by side.

"Concerning the various satellite photos, I can say that it's not 95 [1995] anymore - such planes never stand alongside each other," Shoigu told reporters.

"The photos that were published - I do not know where they came from, because all the planes were in shelters all this time. I hope that this year we will complete a full cycle of tests and this will be another surprise for our colleagues," he stated.

The Russian top military official specified that the jets had returned to Russia a week ago.