Russia's defense minister says forces in Syria have liberated almost 195,000 square miles (which is three times the size of Syria)

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced on Tuesday that more than 503,223 square kilometers (almost 195,000 square miles) in Syria has been liberated from terrorists since the start of Moscow’s military intervention in the country. As it happens, however, Syria is only about 185,000 square kilometers (nearly 71,430 square miles), meaning that the entire country is almost three times smaller than the size of the supposedly liberated territory.

Shoigu also claimed that troops have freed 998 populated settlements, and destroyed 949 training camps and 1,500 pieces of military equipment belonging to terrorists, since the start of the Russian intervention.

According to the Russian defense minister, ISIS currently controls just 5 percent of Syrian territory, adding that more than 1 million civilians have reportedly returned to their homes. “The process of returning to a peaceful life in Syria has begun,” Shoigu argued.

On September 20, 2015, the Russian military intervened in support of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, sending aviation, advisors, special forces, and military police to help the Syrian government against an armed rebellion by various groups.