It’s Finally Over: What Do The Russians Who Saved Syria Have to Say About the War Now?

Well. Nothing can prevent us from watching our heroes coming back home from Syria.

Dmitry Petrov reporting.

Askerkhan Dolgatov, a soldier: When I came home, she hadn't expected me to come, she didn’t let me come close.

 

— Did it take her long to get used?

— No, it didn't. She recognized me at last. By the end of the day, she was hugging me.

Little Azhiim didn't see her father for the third part of her life. When he went to Syria for another mission in September, she was just 6 months old.

— Did you worry about him?

Asker’s wife:

— Sure.

— You didn't want to let him go, did you?

— No, but what could I do? He had to go. We were following the news all the time trying not to miss a single little thing.

Actually, Asker hadn't dreamed about military service. He graduated from a civilian university, military department. Then, he became an entrepreneur, but two years ago he was drafted to serve in the Engineering Corps as a platoon commander. Asker proved himself to be a good leader. He understood it was what he'd been meant to do. Then he was sent to Palmyra to demine both the ancient and the modern part of the city where he learned everything about ISIS explosives.

Askerkhan Dolgatov: "We used to find such devices, made in the shape of a toy. It looked suspicious, actually from the very start, because it was unlikely to see a toy on the street of a post-war city".

Deir ez-Zor was his second deployment point. The Syrians were happy each time they saw Russian engineers. He especially remembers a conversation with a local militiaman.

Askerkhan Dolgatov: "I told him to stop for a while. We just sat and had a chat. He told me about his family. I went to the APC, took some packed food and gave it to him. He was going to have a long march, so he could eat it on the way if he got hungry".

The Joint Detachment of the 1st Engineering Guard Brigade arrived from Syria just 3 days ago. After a short break, they've started combat training. Right now, the strike and clearance platoon is doing an obstacle course. This is a new type of the engineering unit which was introduced only 3 years ago. Such units operate on the front-line of a battlefield They ensure the free pass for the advancing infantry.

The order to come back home was issued by the President on Monday, December 11. Vladimir Putin came to the Hmeimim Air Base as the Commander in Chief so as to thank the military for the service and commend them on the victory.

President Putin: "Here, in Syria, we are far away from the borders of our Motherland. But the task that you are fulfilling here is protecting our country, because when you help Syrian people defend their sovereignty and repel terrorists' attacks you are delivering... you have delivered, actually, a devastating blow to those who were directly and openly threatening our country. We'll never forget the losses we've had in this fight with terrorism both here in Syria and in Russia, but they will never make us give up or retreat. This habit is not natural for our people. Quite the opposite, the memory of the fallen will give us more power for rooting out the absolute evil which is terrorism."

Bashar Assad met Putin at the ramp. Then, they rode along the line of aircrafts in UAZ Patriot SUVs. They stopped at Su-34s. These guys have proven that these aircrafts can strike enemies through a keyhole. Using only high precision weapons, they have killed all the senior ISIS commanders one after another, and destroyed their command posts and arsenals.

President Putin: How long have you been fighting here?

The pilots:

— Two months.

— Two months? When are you departing home?

— Today, we hope.

— Are you ready to go?

— Yes, sir.

— Do you like the new jets?

— Yes, sir, excellent.

— They didn't fail, did they?

— No, they didn't.

Bashar Assad, President of Syria: "I was reported that the pilots were on mission as early as 4:00 AM or 6:00 AM. Just like President Putin, I'm proud of you. Thank you very much!"

After that, over a cup of tea, Putin had a talk with scouts, engineers, and medics. Amid devastation, the personnel of Russian military field hospitals saved lives of many Syrians.

President Putin: "The Air Force, the Marines, reconnaissance units, Supply and Management Command, Military Police, Medical Corps, engineers, military advisors for Syrian Army, all of you have brought the best qualities of the Russian soldier, such as courage, heroism, coherence, and determination. You all demonstrated high qualification and professionalism."

After a while during his press conference, Putin also thanked those who prepared his visit to Hmeimim. That was a really dangerous task.

President Putin: "The riskiest moments of such expeditions are landings and take-offs, because terrorists can bring an airplane down with a portable surface-to-air missile complex. But I saw that the pilots were not just escorting my jet. Before landing, they went under the bottom of our plane. The engines of jet fighters produce much more heat than the engines of a civilian passenger airplane. That's how they covered us from a possible strike".

Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu have commended all the military who provided security for the head of the state: "The officers and soldiers of Military Police and Special Operations Forces who provided security at the Hmeimim Air Base are commended for the exemplary way in which they carried out their tasks, as well as the personnel of air-defense units, specialized electronic warfare specialists, and the crews of certain ships of the Mediterranean Naval Task Force Command, special operation companies which were specially deployed to Syria, anti-sabotage military diving squads, and marine infantry units, which provided security at potentially hazardous sectors outside Hmeimim Air Base on land and at sea, pilots of tactical and supporting fighter jets which escorted the President's plane during landing and takeoff."

My colleague, Alexander Sladkov had a personal conversation with pilots.

— Yuri, what does it mean to provide security? Is it just protecting the plane from on-land or air strikes?

— We were protecting the plane from air attacks. This time, we had to meet the President's plane and escort it to the air base, till it landed. That was one of the tasks. In other words, we covered the President with our jet fighters.

— So, you acted as a heat flare for missiles, right?

— Yes, the temperature of the exhaust gas of a fighter jet is much higher. The engines were running at maximum capacity for our aircrafts differ in speed. So, yes, we covered the President's plane from both sides.

— Pavel, how did you like your jet's performance?

— We were able to maintain the same height going side by side and keeping the distance.

The jet fighter pilots are not going home yet. All the others packed immediately as they had received the order to come back.

One of the first unit which started to load on board was the military police from Dagestan. It was Putin who suggested assemble the unit from the servicemen from the Northern Caucasus. It worked out. In Syria, they would easily get along with the locals for they are Muslims, too. The military police provided the operation of convoys with food and medicine for the locals, and maintained the ceasefire.

Now, the winners are welcomed with festive traditional dances.

Abdulkadir Gamzatov, platoon commander: "My task was to deliver my unit to the deployment point and fulfill the mission which we were given to the end, and bring the boys back safe and sound".

Rakhima Gamzatova, Abdulkadir's mother: "Louis XI, King of France used to say that any kind of peace is better than war. It's a big day for our families. We are very happy that they have come back."

The medical corps are getting ready for the flight. Men are busy loading the equipment of the field hospital, while girls are primping for their families.

Anna Golubeva, surgical nurse: "My mom and my kid are waiting for me at home. Of course, they worry about me."

Krasnodar 32nd Special Air-Mobile Unit of Russian Airborne Force will get home sooner than others. If necessary, they can assault directly to the battlefield using parachute platforms. In their native city, they are met by spouses, kids, colleagues, and young army supporters. According to the regulations, official gratitude from the command comes first, as well as military awards.

In many Russian cities, people met their defenders. Four brand new MiG-29SMT are landing on the airfield in Astrakhan. In Syria, they mostly fulfilled reconnaissance missions.

Multifunctional jet fighters Su-34 took their places at the air base in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. It was the third Syrian deployment for Major Vyacheslav Astayev. He was awarded a watch by Air Force Command. He's happy to be home before the New Year, but what he's more happy about is that he received the order to go home personally from Putin.

Vyacheslav Astayev, Su-34 Commander: "I didn't expect that, because no one knew who was going to come to Hmeimim."

It's likely, that the vacation won't last long. An exercise is planned on January, and the military have to get ready for it.

Dmitry Petrov, Alexander Sladkov, Sarkar Magomedov, Lyudmila Smirnova, Vesti News of the Week.