Russia is trying to recruit Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, a senior US defense official has said, according to the BBC.
“We consider it remarkable that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that he must rely on foreign fighters to supplement his combat power inside Ukraine,” the official told reporters.
It is noted that Russia launched a military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, which was crucial to turn the tide of the country’s civil war for the benefit of the government.
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal quoted U.S. officials as saying that the Russian military had been recruiting fighters from Syria in recent days, “hoping that their know-how in civil war could help occupy Kiev.”
Russia’s Deir Ezzor 24 news network reported last month that Russia had offered Syrians in government-controlled areas salaries of between $ 200 and $ 300 to “go to Ukraine and work as guards” for six months.
A senior US defense official said he was unable to provide an estimate of the number of Syrians already recruited or whether a quota had been set.
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