Story highlights CNN's Matthew Chance is at Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, the heart of Russia's air war in Syria

In 24 hours, 59 combat missions have been flown, killing 320 militants, says Russia Defense Ministry

Russian defense personnel here believe they have made a strong difference in three-month intervention

Hmeymim airbase, Latakia, Syria (CNN) With relentless regularity, the Russian warplanes take off from Hmeymim airbase in Latakia on northwest Syria's Mediterranean coast, the staging ground for Russia's air war against Islamist terror groups fighting for control of Syria.

Several times an hour, the base reverberates with the roar of fighter jets taking off to pound jihadist rebel groups and support the ground forces of beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

A Russian warplane at the Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria

Figures provided by Russia's Defense Ministry, detailing the activity here over the past 24 hours, give some sense of the intensity of Russia's air war.

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Fifty-nine combat missions. Two hundred and twelve targets struck. Three hundred and twenty ISIS militants killed. And more than 100 oil facilities destroyed.

I'm here for a rare glimpse into the hub of operations for Russia's nearly three-month-old intervention in Syria.

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