Moscow, March 16: Russian pilots who led a 5-and-a-half-month bombing campaign in Syria were greeted as heroes on their return to a Russian airbase Tuesday, a day after President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of the bulk of Russia’s military forces deployed in the war-devastated country.
The pilots were met by a large, flag-carrying delegation of senior officers as well as their wives and children after they touched down at an aerodrome near the southern Russian city of Voronezh.
Some of the pilots were carried on the shoulders of their fellow soldiers while others were given flowers and balloons.
The head of Russia’s air force, General Viktor Bondarev, was present among the welcoming party and told pilots that all their bombs had been on target.
The hero’s welcome for the returning soldiers was shown live on state-owned television amid regular updates on the Russian jets departing in waves from their Syrian base and analysis of the Moscow’s bombing campaign in Syria that has been hailed as a triumph by Kremlin-friendly media and Russian officials.
