Operation Serval Mali resulted in the deaths of 11 Islamist fighters. On the evening of April 16, 2014, the French army destroyed two pickup trucks containing jihadists north of Timbuktu. They then used air and ground forces to intercept other vehicles. During the night of April 16 to the 17th, the French special forces, backed by troops from Operation Serval and helicopters come in contact with the Islamist fighters. The French began by firing warning shots, but the jihadists refused to surrender and opened fire. Faced with the advance of the French military, they abandoned their vehicles and ran, suffering more losses.
Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War urged investiagation of war crimes. On 15 October 2016, the aircraft carrier sailed from Kola Bay at the centre of a task group, which included the "Kirov"-class missile cruiser , a pair of s and other vessels, to deploy to the Mediterranean in support of Russian forces operating in Syria. "Admiral Kuznetsov"s jets were reported to be flying off the Syrian coast on 8 November. On 14 November, a MiG-29K crashed en route back to the carrier following a planned mission over Syria, while an Su-33 crashed, again while trying to recover to "Admiral Kuznetsov" following a sortie on 5