On 17 November 2015 , in the wake of the Russian jet crash over Sinai and the Paris attacks , according to the Russian defence minister ′ s public report to the president of Russia Vladimir Putin , Russia employed the Russia-based Tu-160 , Tu-95MSM , and Tu-22M3 long range strategic bombers firing air-launched cruise missiles to hit what he claimed were the IS targets in Raqqa , Deir ez-Zor as well as targets in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib . The Russian minister of defence said that , pursuant to Putin ′ s orders , the Russian aviation grouping that at the time comprised more than 50 aircraft was intensifying their campaign . Besides , Putin said he had issued orders for the cruiser '' Moskva '' that had been in eastern Mediterranean since the start of the Russian operations to " work as with an ally " , with the French naval group led by flagship that had been on its way to the eastern Mediterranean since early November . The following day , according to the Russian Defence ministry , strikes by long-range bombers firing cruise missiles in the same areas in Syria continued . The mass cruise missile strikes carried out against ISIS in Deir Ezzor province on 20 November resulted in the death of more than 600 militants according to the ministry
Paris attacks
November 2015 Paris attacks
Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War