DAMASCUS – Russia says its troops have successfully repelled multiple droneattacks launched by militants on its naval and air bases in Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the news on Monday, saying theaerial aggression was conducted by as many as 13 unmanned aerialvehicles (UAV) on Saturday night.

According to the ministry report, 10 combat dones raided the HmeimimAirbase in Syria’s western coastal province of Latakia while three moreattempted a strike against the Russian maritime logistics base located inthe western city of Tartus, Syria’s second largest port city.

All of the drones were spotted by anti-aircraft defense systems “at aconsiderable distance from the Russian military objects,” the ministrysaid, adding that seven of them were successfully shot down by the RussianPanzir-S air-defense system.

The report further said that Russian radio electronic warfare specialistsalso managed to override the operating systems of six more UAVs, andultimately wrested control over them. It added that three of these droneswere destroyed as they hit the ground, while the remaining three werelanded intact in the vicinity of the Russian-run base.

At the end, the ministry confirmed that the aerial raids inflicted nocasualties among Russian military personnel and the two military compounds“continue to operate as normal.”

Russia has been conducting air raids against terrorist outfits in Syria atthe Damascus government’s request since September 2015. Moscow has alsomaintained a naval group in the Mediterranean since the start of itsanti-terror campaign in the war-ravaged Arab country.