Early on August 27, Russian military helicopters made a low pass near the Turkish-occupied town of Jarabulus in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo.
Opposition activists shared a video of the Russian helicopters, a Mi-8 and a Mi-35, passing near Jarabulus, right along the line separating the town from Kurdish-held areas to the east and the border with Turkey to the north.
The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies occupied Jarabulus and its outskirts in August, 2017 after a fierce battle with ISIS.
Earlier this month, a delegation of the Russian military visited the villages of Shukh and Buraz, which are held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), east of Jarabulus. The delegation inspected a number of sites shelled by Turkish forces.
Attacks by Turkish forces on SDF-held areas east of Jarabulus increased following the withdrawal of U.S. forces last year.
Russia may be planning to establish a foothold in east of Jarabulus in cooperation with the SDF. Such a move would limit Turkey’s influence in the region.
