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Russia can make powerful Syria comeback within hours: Putin

17 March 2016 13:00 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared his country's Syria mission a resounding success, but stressed Russia would continue to support the Syrian government and could build up its military presence in the region again within hours if necessary, Reuters reports.

Speaking in the Kremlin at a medal ceremony for military personnel who served in Syria, Putin sought to dampen any talk of a rift with Damascus, saying Moscow's partial withdrawal from Syria had been agreed with President Bashar al-Assad.

Although he stressed his preference for a negotiated diplomatic solution to the conflict, he made clear Russia could easily scale up its forces again.

"If necessary, literally within a few hours, Russia can build up its contingent in the region to a size proportionate to the situation developing there and use the entire arsenal of capabilities at our disposal," said Putin.

Russia's military operation in Syria cost 33 billion rubles from the Defense Ministry’s budget for military drills and training, Vladimir Putin said.