(VOVworld) - The Russian government said on Sunday that it supports legitimate authority in Syria, not Syrian President Bashar al-Assad personally.

Russian airplanes in the airstrike campaign in Syria (Photo: AP)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was speaking on Sunday after there was information that Russia had launched airstrikes in Syria in support of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. Ms. Maria Zakharova said Russia does not support any side in Syria’s civil war, confirming Moscow’s policy of not intervening in the interior affairs of any country. She reiterated that Russian air forces were deployed to Syria to prevent the collapse of the country and to fight terrorism in the Middle East, not to support Assad in the civil war.