Russia spent over $480 million on Syria operation: Putin

Russia's defence ministry has spent 33 billion roubles [$484 million] on its military operation in Syria, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Putin's remarks - the first lengthy comments he has made about the campaign - came on Thursday at the Kremlin during a ceremony for Russian military personnel returning from serving in Syria.

"The military operation in Syria, of course, required certain spending but the main part was from the defence ministry’s resources – around 33 billion roubles. [This sum] was included in the ministry’s 2015 budget for holding drills and military training. We just redirected these resources to support the group in Syria," the official Russian news agency Tass quoted Putin as saying.

The president's comments came after a Russian business news agency this week estimated that the campaign had cost around 38 billion roubles [$554 million], figures disputed by the Kremlin.

Putin on Thursday said the operation in Syria had helped the Russian military test its hardware, and helped it create new weapons and improve its armed forces.

"The modern Russian weaponry has proved its worth in real combat conditions rather than at training ranges. This is the most rigorous test," he added.

Russia began bombing targets in Syria last September, saying it was targeting "terrorists".

However, locals say the campaign had a high toll on civilians, with the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimating that over 1,500 non-combatants were killed in Russian raids.

On Tuesday several Russian bombers and jets reportedly left Syria after Putin on Monday ordered the bulk of his forces to withdraw from the country.

Forces stationed at the Hmeimim airbase and Tartus port will remain, though, and Russia’s S-400 fourth-generation advanced air defence missiles stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea will also stay in place.

Putin said on Thursday that the air defence systems will be used against "any targets" which Russia considers as threat.

Opponents of Syria's President Assad – who Russia is supporting – have welcomed the withdrawal, although a spokesperson for the White House said on Friday morning that it was too soon to assess the effect of the disengagement.

Putin said on Thursday that, despite the withdrawal, Russian forces could redeploy to Syria “within a few hours” if necessary.