Putin: Russia can be back in Syria within hours

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned that his country could ramp up its military presence in Syria within "several hours" if needed.

Putin spoke during a ceremony in the Kremlin's St George's Hall to bestow awards on servicemen who fought in Syria, with the military's top brass among some 700 personnel from the armed forces in attendance.

"If there's a need, Russia literally within several hours can ramp up its presence in the region to the size required for the unfolding situation and use the whole arsenal of possibilities we have at our disposal."

"We would not want to do that, a military escalation is not our choice," he added.

"And that's why we put our hopes in the common sense of all parties, in the commitment to the peace process of both the Syrian authorities and the opposition."

On Monday, Putin ordered the surprise withdrawal of most of armed forces from Syria, saying Moscow's task had been "on the whole" completed.

He said Moscow was not abandoning its ally Bashar al-Assad, pledging Russia's continuing military, financial and other support to his regime and praising the Syrian leader.

"We see his restraint, his sincere desire to achieve peace, his readiness for compromise and dialogue."

At least 1,700 civilians have been killed in Russia air raids.

Moscow is set to maintain its air and a naval facility in Syria and Putin indicated that Russia's drawdown would not significantly change the balance of forces in Syria.

Putin said Moscow would keep its advanced S-400 air defence systems stationed in the war-torn country and warned its forces would shoot down "any target" they considered a threat.

He added that he was certain that the "patriotic forces" fighting jihadists would score new battlefield triumphs in the near future.

The Russian leader also praised the country's armed forces for their service in Syria.

"It is you - the Russian soldiers - who opened the path to peace," he said, adding that the five-and-a-half-month Syria campaign allowed Russia to test its weapons on the battlefield.

Russia began its air campaign in Syria on 30 September, initially claiming its intention was to hit Islamic State group units and other extremist groups.

However, the vast majority of its raids have targeted Syrian rebels in Aleppo, Idlib, Daraa and other cities, leaving IS largely unscathed.

At least 1,700 civilians have been killed in Russia air raids. Dozens of schools, hospitals and bakeries have also been destroyed, while bombing has forced hundreds of thousands more Syrians from their bombed out homes.

Agencies contributed to this report