Details of Russia’s military campaign in Syria:

• The Syrian Army has managed to break an Islamic State siege on the eastern town of Deir Ezzor for the first time since the militants surrounded it three years ago, Syrian state TV reported. Russia has provided air support for the operation. (Independent, 09.05.17, Gazeta.ru, 09.05.17)
• The Russian frigate Admiral Essen fired Kalibr cruise missiles at Islamic State targets near the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor on Sept. 5 to help a Syrian army offensive in the area, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The strike, which was launched from the Mediterranean, destroyed command and communications posts, as well as ammunition depots, a facility to repair armored vehicles, and a large group of militants, the ministry said. (Reuters, 09.05.17)
• The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out more than 80 missions and killed more than 70 militants in Syria over the previous 24-hour period, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sept. 4. (Interfax, 09.04.17)
• Two Russian soldiers were killed in Syria’s Deir Ezzor region when the convoy they were traveling in was hit by mortar fire from the Islamic State group, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sept. 4. (RFE/RL, 09.04.17)

Response to Russia’s military campaign in Syria:

• No significant developments.

Risk of accidental or intentional confrontation between Western and Russian forces in Syria:

• No significant developments.

Strategies and actions recommended:

• No significant developments.

Analysis:

• No significant developments.

Other important news:

• “As soon as the Deir Ezzor operation is over—it will mean that terrorists have faced a serious defeat, while the Assad government and its armed forces have gained advantage—the need will arise to take the next step to ensure the ceasefire, strengthen de-escalation zones and launch a political process,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his final press conference at the BRICS summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen. (TASS, 09.05.17)
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sept. 1 that he wanted major powers to agree on a transition calendar that would be imposed on Syrians, but ruled out any role for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who Le Drian said had “murdered” part of his population. (Reuters, 09.01.17)
• The international contact group on Syria will begin its work during the session of the U.N. General Assembly in September, French President Emmanuel Macron said. (TASS, 08.29.17)
• The next round of talks between Russia, Turkey and Iran on settling the Syrian civil conflict will take place in Astana on Sept. 14-15 and will focus on forces that the three nations plan to deploy in the war-torn country. (Reuters, 09.01.17)
• The BRICS group of five major emerging economies called on Sept. 4 for reform of the United Nations and tougher measures against terrorist groups. (AP, 09.04.17)
• Raqqa, the last Islamic State stronghold in Syria, will fall by the end of October, according to the UN special envoy for Syria. (The Guardian, 09.01.17)
• France and Russia have reached “concrete results” to prevent the use of chemical weapons in Syria, French President Emmanuel Macron said. (TASS, 08.29.17)
• Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Aug. 31 it had detained two suspects from ex-Soviet Central Asian republics accused of plotting attacks on civilians in Moscow on behalf of Islamic State. The FSB said the suspects were preparing to launch the attacks on Sept. 1, the beginning of the school year in Russia. (AP, 08.31.17)
• German authorities have deported a suspected Islamic extremist, an 18-year-old Russian citizen who grew up in Germany, to Russia. The man was deemed to pose a significant risk of carrying out an attack. (AP, 09.05.17)
• Eight children and four women—originating from Russia and Kazakhstan—who had been left behind in areas liberated from Islamic State militants have been flown out of Iraq and Syria and have arrived in Russia, Russian news agencies reported. A plane carrying them arrived in Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, on Sept. 1. (RFE/RL, 09.02.17)