US asks Turkey to guarantee S-400 systems will not come into operation — Erdogan

MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Two Syrian Pantsyr air defense missile/gun systems were damaged in Turkey’s attacks. They will be repaired soon, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"As a result of mass attack by Turkish combat unmanned aerial vehicles, two Syrian Pantsyr air defense missile/gun systems were damaged," the ministry said, adding that repair works were nearing completion.

Turkey’s statements that its drones destroyed eight Syrian Pantsyr air defense systems are not true, the Russian top brass added.

"Reports submitted to Turkey’s head of state about the combat efficiency of the use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles in the Idlib governorate, which allegedly destroyed eight Syrian Pantsyr air defense missile/gun systems, have nothing to do with the real state of things and are nothing but an exaggeration," the ministry stated.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, most of Syrian air defense systems, including the Pantsyrs, are deployed near Damascus, with only four Pantsyr systems being used near the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated earlier on Tuesday that Turkish drones had destroyed eight Pantsyr air defense systems of the Syrian armed forces in Idlib.