The following month, on Sept. 30, Moscow declared the launch of its air campaign in Syria, Russia's first military action outside the former Soviet Union since its 1991 collapse. The Russian military also quickly beefed up its air defenses in Syria with the long-range S-400 missiles to force Turkey to back off. Senior Russian military officers helped train and direct Syrian government troops, while Russian special forces conducted intelligence and coordinated airstrikes. The long-range precision-strike cruise missiles have given a major boost to Russia's military capability. Together, Russia, Turkey and Iran have brokered several rounds of Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Source: Fox News November 21, 2017 18:22 UTC