Offstream
news

The Russian defence ministry says its forces have taken full control of Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military denies this claim, saying its 3rd Assault Brigade continues to hold a small number of positions near the front line.
2026-04-1

In his first public statement since being overthrown, former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad says that he "didn't intend to leave Syria", claiming that he went to Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia Governorate to "oversee combat operations" only to find that the Syrian Army had abandoned their positions and surrendered to rebel forces. Amid "an intensified attack by drone strikes" at the air base, Assad says that Russia decided to airlift him to Moscow.
2024-12-16

The Russian defence ministry claims that its forces have captured the settlements of Mykolaivka in Donetsk Oblast and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine.
2024-08-29

The United States Central Command says that a Russian military jet damaged an MQ-9 Reaper drone in Syrian airspace on July 23, by ejecting flares while flying "dangerously close" to the U.S. aircraft.
2023-07-25

Eleven soldiers and two civilians are killed in an attack on a bus travelling from Raqqa to Homs. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.
2022-06-20

Two Russian paratroopers are killed during military drills near the Polish border in western Belarus. The Ministry of Defence says their parachutes failed to deploy properly "due to a sudden strong gust of wind" during their jumps.
2021-11-12

The BBC reveals that a secret deal in mid-October allowed hundreds of ISIL fighters and their families, including some of their "most notorious members", escape from Raqqa in a convoy that was between 6 to 7 km long. The United States government confirms that the deal with ISIL was made and that the evacuations took place. The possibility of a deal was previously reported as early as October 14.
2017-11-13

"The Sun" reports that the CIA informed UK intelligence agencies that British-born ISIL activist and recruiter Sally Jones was killed in a U.S. drone strike in June along with her 12-year-old son while they were fleeing Raqqa in Syria.
2017-10-11

Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu to start the withdrawal of Russian Armed Forces from Syria, saying during a meeting with Shoygu, "I consider the objectives that have been set for the Defense Ministry to be generally accomplished. That is why I order to start withdrawal of the main part of our military group from the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic starting from tomorrow.”
2016-03-14

ISIL orders males aged 14 and older in Raqqa, its de facto Syrian capital, to register with the police, an action seen as the first step toward forced conscriptions in this region.
2015-10-21