AFP, MOSCOW: Russia sent anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria to back up its air campaign, the commander of the air force Viktor Bondarev said in an interview published Thursday. “We sent there not just fighter planes, strike aircraft and helicopters but also anti-aircraft rocket systems,” Bondarev told Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid daily. He said that Russia made the decision to bring missile systems to Syria because “we took into account every possible threat.” “There could be various force majeur situations. Let’s imagine a military plane is hijacked and taken to a neighbouring country and air strikes are aimed at us. And we have to be ready for this.” The defence ministry could not be immediately reached for comment. Bondarev said Russia has “more than 50 planes and helicopters” in Syria, “precisely the number we need. At the moment, we do not need more.”