Are NATO Forces “Blind” In Syria?

Brandon Turbeville
Activist Post
November 2, 2015

As Western media circulates reports accompanied with exactly zero evidence to back up claims that Russian cruise missiles crashed in Iran or that Russia has engaged in a hospital bombing spree, there is a notable silence about the capabilities of the Russian military, particularly when it relates to the question of how effective it is in preventing NATO and the United States from achieving its goals in Syria.

Recent reports in the alternative media, however, are suggesting that, at least in the coastal areas of Syria and in a number of locations controlled by the Assad government and backed by Russian forces, the NATO forces are essentially blind.

Noted and respected researcher Thierry Meyssan of the Voltaire Network recently stated on Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio program that the Russians have deployed a new “secret weapon” in Syria that is capable of jamming American and NATO satellites and radar transmissions, essentially creating a space where the interlopers are incapable of using radar, sonar, or directional systems. The system, according to Meyssan, is also capable of preventing opposing forces from even being able to monitor and observe what is happening inside the area in which the jamming devices are operating.

Meyssan, who is currently living in Damascus and is functioning as an advisor to the Assad government, stated,

In fact, nobody knows what is really happening now in Syria. Because now there is something totally new, totally different from the past. The Russians [military] has deployed a special system to scramble, to jam all the communications in Syria. So, right now, all the military communications – the radar, the satellites, everything is jammed, is scrambled. And the result is that NATO [doesn’t] know what is happening inside Syria since three weeks [ago]. 

. . . .

This means that Russia has a new weapon able to stop all the communications system of NATO and this means that Russia is now the main military power in the world. You understand what I’m saying? Because right now NATO is totally blind. Because if NATO tries to do something inside Syria they can’t do it.

For those who question the claims of Meyssan, it should be noted that Russia has already deployed a sophisticated system of radar, sonar, and directional jamming that has caused some consternation amongst the NATO and American militaries.

In April, 2015, a public version of this alleged “secret” weapon was unveiled and reported on by Sputnik. The Russian media organization stated,

The Richag-AV system, mounted on the Mi-8MTPR1 (a variant of the Mi-8MTB5-1 helicopter) is said to have no global equivalent. Its electronic countermeasures system is designed to jam radar, sonar and other detection systems in the aims of defending aircraft, helicopters, drones, ground and naval forces against air-to-air and surface-to-air defense systems within a radius of several hundred kilometers. It can be mounted on units from any branch of the armed forces, including helicopters and airplanes, as well as ground and ship-based forces. The Mi8-MTPR1-based Richag-AV platform, using multi-beam antenna arrays with DRFM technology, is designed to actively jam and thus ‘blind’ radar systems in order to defend against radio-electronic guided weapons systems. In a combat situation, the system would operate as part of an aviation shock attack group aimed at breaking through virtually any defense system, blinding everything up to and including the US MIM-104 ‘Patriot’ anti-aircraft missile system.

The new Russian system seems to be functioning via a similar concept but at a much higher capacity.

It should also be noted that, in late September of this year, NATO Supreme Commander Gen. Phillip Breedlove warned that Russia was creating an A2/AD bubble over the Syrian coast and the eastern Mediterranean. Breedlove also mentioned that similar bubbles were already created by Russia over the Baltic Sea near Kaliningrad and the Black Sea near Crimea. A2/AD is an abbreviation for Anti-Access and Area Denial.

As the Washington Post reported,

While Russia’s stated goal in moving into Syria is to fight the Islamic State, NATO’s top commander believes Russia’s new presence includes the first pieces of an intricate layer of defensive systems deployed to hinder U.S. and coalition operations in the region. “As we see the very capable air defense [systems] beginning to show up in Syria, we’re a little worried about another A2/AD bubble being created in the eastern Mediterranean,” said Breedlove to an audience at the German Marshall Fund Monday. A2/AD stands for anti-access/area denial. During the early stages of warfare, A2/AD could have been a moat around a castle, or spikes dug into the ground—anything to keep the enemy off a certain swathe of territory. In the 21st century, however, A2/AD is a combination of systems such as surface-to-air missile batteries and anti-ship missiles deployed to prevent forces from entering or traversing a certain area—from land, air or sea. According to Breedlove, the introduction of an A2/AD bubble in Syria would be Russia’s third denial zone around Europe. The first and oldest he said, was in the Baltics where the Russian naval base in Kaliningrad has robust anti-air capabilities. The second zone—originating from Russian-occupied Crimea—covers the Black Sea. “Russia has developed a very strong A2/AD capability in the Black Sea,” said Breedlove. “Essentially their [anti-ship] cruise missiles range the entire Black Sea, and their air defense missiles range about 40 to 50 percent of the Black Sea.

Hints of the effectiveness of the Russian technology was demonstrated in a tense standoff between a Russian fighter jet and an American Destroyer in the Black Sea in 2014 when the Russian jet turned toward the Destroyer (who was stationed in the Black Sea in violation of the Montreaux Convention) and completely jammed the radar and directional systems on board the ship. While the silencing of the US systems was impressive enough, the fact that the jet did so for a total of 12 times was a clear message.

Considering the nature of the conflict taking place in Syria, we can only hope that the Russians continue to blackout access to visuals, communications, and the ability to launch a coordinated assault against the Assad forces by NATO powers and any other force attempting to destroy Syria and its people. However, we must also hope that the US ruling elite soon begins to keep its hubris in check before we find ourselves engaged in a worldwide conflagration.


Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is an author out of Florence, South Carolina. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Francis Marion University and is the author of six books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 and volume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, and The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President. Turbeville has published over 500 articles dealing on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s podcast Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST atUCYTV. He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.