MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. The flights of Russian aviation in Syria have been reduced to a minimum and are performed only for combat training and reconnaissance, Chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Department, Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoi said on Monday.

"The aviation’s flights have been reduced to a minimum as part of combat training and reconnaissance. The Russian task force has been downsized to the base staffing level required for fulfilling tasks," Rudskoi noted.

According to the general, a successful operation to defeat major terrorist groups made it possible to halt active combat actions of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria in December 2017. The equipment and armaments, which are not part of Russia’s bases in Hmeimim and Tartus, were sent to Russia’s territory, he noted.

Russia’s Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval facility are operating as normal. "The Russian Aerospace Defense Forces in Syria are carrying out combat training and are ready to launch counter-terrorism efforts," the general pointed out.

In December 2018, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the number of Russian flights in Syria was cut from 100 per day to two or four per week.