Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

BEIRUT (AP) — During a visit to Syria in 2017, Vladimir Putin lavished praise on a Syrian general whose division played an instrumental role in defeating insurgents in the country’s long-running civil war. The Russian president told him his cooperation with Russian troops “will lead to great successes in the future.”

Now members of Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan’s division are among hundreds of Russian-trained Syrian fighters who have reportedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, including Syrian soldiers, former rebels and experienced fighters who fought for years against the Islamic State group in Syria’s desert.

So far, only a small number appears to have arrived in Russia for military training ahead of deployment on the front lines. Although Kremlin officials boasted early in the war of more than 16,000 applications from the Middle East, U.S. officials and activists monitoring Syria say there have not yet been significant numbers of fighters from the region joining the war in Ukraine.

Analysts, however, say this could change as Russia prepares for the next phase of the battle with a full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine. They believe fighters from Syria are more likely to be deployed in coming weeks, especially after Putin named Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, who commanded the Russian military in Syria, as the new war commander in Ukraine.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-islamic-state-group-syria-europe-4ede428219450a58b0439912bc43cc15

[Ray Bruns]

1. I think you linked the wrong article there.

[llashram]

2. all I know is

trump helped his buddy putin in Syria. I remember the mess hall photo on the American base when he pulled our 'advisors' out...food half-eaten and uneaten still on the table. Putin told him to get out of Syria and he did his master's bidding, quickly.

[PortTack]

3. They've been saying the Syrians are coming for weeks now

[Lovie777]

4. Syrian fighters are already fighting with the Ukrainians . . ..

and Ukrainians have a much needed advantage, it's their home.

[The Magistrate]

5. One Hates To Bring Such Things Up, Sir

But I suspect little would stiffen Ukrainian resolve more at this stage than deploying soldiers who hale from what once was the marketplace for slaves seized in Ukraine. Centuries ago, but it's the sort of thing people remember, and propagandists have a field day with.