"October in Syria is a great month for flying," a Russian TV weather forecaster said on Sunday
"October in Syria is a great month for flying," a Russian TV weather forecaster explained during a report Sunday. The skies are relatively clear, the wind speed is a manageable 2.4 meters per second, "with strong gusts just once a month," and rainfall is sparse.
That's ideal, because Russia is in the midst of an air war in Syria, having launched more than 100 sorties against the Islamic State militant group and rebel factions battling the Syrian regime, which is a staunch ally of Moscow.
The forecaster for Rossiya 24 said, "Experts say the timing for [the airstrikes] was chosen very well in terms of weather."
She elaborates, according to a translation published by the Guardian newspaper:
"In these meteorological conditions, planes can dive below the clouds and conduct effective strikes on ground targets, and only climb higher if there's active anti-aircraft fire," she said in front of a graphic depicting a Sukhoi Su-24 strike aircraft dropping bombs on an enemy tank from the "optimal height for targeting and bombing"; 3km to 5km off the ground.
This is not the first time the network has discussed the forecast in the context of military entanglements abroad. Earlier this year, it plotted the weather above parts of eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists were locked in pitched battles.