Moscow is poised to deploy Syrian fighters in Ukraine, US officials
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – As Russian forces attempt to invade Ukrainian cities, Moscow is poised to deploy Syrian fighters with expertise in urban combat, The Wall Street Journal, reported yesterday.
Citing unnamed US officials, the Journal said Russia has begun recruiting from Syria, though it is unclear how many fighters have been mobilized, or how close they are to entering the conflict.
As the war dragged into its 12th day, Russia has taken control of southern and eastern towns on Ukraine, while the capital, Kyiv, is still under siege.
Though Ukraine’s major cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, remain under the control of Ukrainian government, the recruitment of Syrian fighters has the potential to drastically escalate the scale of the conflict, according to experts.
“The Russia deployment of foreign fighters from Syria into Ukraine internationalizes the Ukraine war,” Jennifer Cafarella, a national security expert in Washington, D.C., told the Journal, adding “and therefore could link the war in Ukraine to broader cross regional dynamics, particularly in the Middle East.”