Russia launches CRUISE MISSILES 'at ISIS' from warships 900 miles away as Syrian ground troops begin major offensive supported by Putin's bombers

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Vladimir Putin in televised remarks that four ships based 900 miles away in the Caspian Sea had launched 26 'Sizzler' missiles - and claimed they would strike 11 ISIS targets.

The attacks were launched from the warships Dagestan, Uglich, Grad Sviyazhsk and Veliky Ustyug

Video released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows the warships launching the missiles which Shoigu insisted destroyed all the targets and did not hit any civilian areas.

The cruise missiles, each costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, 'engaged all the assigned targets successfully and with high accuracy' said one Russian media report, giving no further details.

The missiles fly at 550mph and have a range of more than 1,500 miles.

The attacks came as Syrian government troops launched a ground offensive Wednesday Oct 07,2015 in the country's central region under cover of Russian airstrikes

The missiles, launched from a Russian flotilla in the Caspian Sea, travelled 900 miles over 'unpopulated areas' to target militants in Syria