Russian drones spent about 140 thousand hours in the air during the operation in Syria. The head of the specialized department of the General staff of the Russian Armed Forces Major General Alexander Novikov said in an interview.

The General noted that the Russian Army now has about 1900 drones, unmanned aviation services were created in the headquarters of military districts and formations. UAVs are used in almost all operational and military training activities.

Since the beginning of the anti-terrorist operation in Syria, Russian UAVs have performed about 23 thousand flights, the total flight is amounted to 140 thousand. The devices, in particular, provide round-the-clock control of the ground situation almost throughout the Syrian territory. In addition, the use of unmanned aircraft, according to Novikov, "ensured the effective use of precision weapons on the infrastructure of international terrorists and at the same time excluded possible casualties among the civilian population."