MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Konovalov, Russian pilots had to leave for Syria from Russia’s northernmost Olenegorsk military airport in order to bypass Europe and then cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Syria.
![Russian Air Force's long-range aircraft hit ISIL targets in Syria Russian Air Force's long-range aircraft hit ISIL targets in Syria](/resources/uploads/images/russian plane(1).jpg)
He added that even in such conditions, Russia’s Long-Range Aviation proved its capability to perform the assigned tasks.
Russia has been conducting airstrikes on positions of IS, a group outlawed in many countries including Russia, in Syria since late September at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.