Russia appoints tens of thousands of Syrians to fight in Ukraine

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDO) said on Tuesday that Russia had compiled a list of 40,000 Syrian troops and allied fighters ready to be stationed in Ukraine.

Syrian fightersPhoto: Wikimedia Commons

Russia, an ally of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, announced on March 11 that it would welcome volunteers, including Syrians, to fight in Ukraine with the Russian army occupying the neighboring country on February 24.

According to OSDO, Russian authorities, in conjunction with the Syrian army and allied militants, have opened registration offices in areas under Damascus’ control.

“So far, more than 40,000 Syrians have registered to join Russia in fighting in Ukraine,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK – based NGO OSDO, which has a wide network in Syria since the 2011 war.

Russian officials stationed in Syria as part of Moscow’s 2015 military intervention to support the Assad regime have approved the candidatures of 22,000 of them, according to Abdel Rahman.

The OSDO said the militants were either from Syrian military units or from pro-government militants trained by war-experienced Russians in urban areas.

What is Russia paying to fight in Ukraine?

In a country where soldiers earn between 13 and 32 euros a month, Russia has promised to pay them 1,000 euros to fight in Ukraine, the watchdog said.

The NGO added that they were still entitled to 7 7,000 in compensation for their injuries, while their families would receive ,000 15,000 if they died in the war.

Another 18,000 have joined the ruling Ba’ath party and will be selected by the Wagner Group, a private Russian paramilitary organization affiliated with the Kremlin, according to the OSDO.

See also  "If you want to see my baby again, do as he says, he took the knife and told me" - the test of a Ukrainian woman during the Russian occupation

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See all the information about the war in Ukraine live here – Day 20

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