Now members of Brig. General Suheil al-Hassan’s unit is among hundreds of Russian-trained Syrian fighters who have reportedly volunteered to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, including Syrian soldiers, former guerrillas and experienced fighters who have fought for years. Islamic State in the Syrian desert.
So far, only a small number appear to have arrived in Russia for pre-deployment military training. Although Kremlin officials boasted early in the war of more than 16,000 applications from the Middle East, US officials and activists monitoring Syria say there have not yet been a significant number of fighters from the region who took part in the war in Ukraine.
Analysts, however, say that could change as Russia prepares for the next phase of the war with a large-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine. They believe that fighters from Syria are more likely to deploy in the coming weeks, especially since Putin has appointed General Alexander Dvornikov, who commanded the Russian army in Syria, as the new warlord in Ukraine.
Although some question how effective the Syrian fighters would be in Ukraine, they could be deployed if more forces were needed to besiege cities or make up for the growing losses. Dvornikov is well aware of the multiple Russian-trained paramilitary forces in Syria, while overseeing the strategy of relentless siege and bombing of opposition-controlled cities in Syria.
“Russia is preparing for a bigger battle” in Ukraine and Syrian fighters are likely to take part, said Ahmad Hamada, a rebel in the Syrian army who is now a military analyst based in Turkey.
Syrian observers and activists say the Russians are actively recruiting in Syria for the Ukraine war, especially among fighters trained in Russia.
Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war observer, said about 40,000 people had so far enrolled – 22,000 in the Russian military and about 18,000 in the Russian private contractor Wagner Group.
About 700 members of al-Hassan’s 25th Special Missions Division, known in Syria as the “Tiger Force,” have left Syria in recent weeks to fight alongside Russian forces, Abdurrahman said. The numbers could not be confirmed independently.
Pro-government activists have posted videos on social media over the past two weeks showing members of the Tiger Force carrying out military exercises, including falling from a helicopter parachute. Russian officers appeared in one of the videos advising the paratroopers inside a helicopter as al-Hassan praised the young men by hitting them on the head. It was not immediately clear if the videos were new.
Abdurrahman said there were also volunteers from the 5th Division trained by Russia. the Ba’athist brigades, which is the armed wing of Assad’s ruling Ba’ath party. and the Palestinian Quds Brigade, which is made up of Palestinian refugees in Syria. Everyone has fought on the side of the Russian army in the war in Syria.
“The Russians are looking for experienced fighters. “They do not want anyone who has not been trained by the Russians,” said Abdurrahman.
The Tiger Force has taken credit for some of the biggest government victories in the 11-year conflict. Participated in a multi-month campaign in support of Russia in the last insurgent stronghold in the northwestern province of Idlib, which ended in March 2020 with government forces occupying a vital north-south highway – although the rebels remain to control the pocket.
Al-Hassan “is one of the men of Russia and Russia will depend on him,” said Omar Abu Laila, a European-based activist who runs DeirEzzor 24, a Syrian war monitoring group.
Hundreds of fighters from the 5th Division and the Quds Brigade have enlisted at the Russian base Hmeimeem in western Syria, which is leading the recruitment effort, and are awaiting orders, he said.
In late March, a Russian-trained force known as the “ISIS Hunters” militia, which has fought for years against IS, posted an advertisement calling on men aged 23 to 49 to appear for a check-up, saying those passing the test and found suitable will be called later.
So far, about 100 men have registered their names in the southern province of Suwayda, according to Rway Maarouf of Suwayda24, a group of activists covering IS activities in the Syrian desert. He added that they were promised a monthly income of no less than $ 600, a huge sum of money amid widespread unemployment and the fall of the Syrian pound.
Earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the United States had indications that the Wagner group was trying to recruit fighters, mostly from the Middle East, to deploy in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
However, he said there was no “specific information” on the numbers hired. “We are not just there yet to see anything real proven in terms of aid,” he added.
General Frank McKenzie, head of the U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in early March that so far there are only “very small groups” trying to cross from Syria to Ukraine, calling it a “very small leak.”
Retired Lebanese army general Naji Malaeb, who is closely monitoring the war in Syria, said so far there were no indications of Syrian fighters traveling to Russia, but that could change as the war continues.
“It all depends on what the Russians plan to do in the near future,” Malaeb said.
Syrian and Palestinian officials in Syria have downgraded reports of fighters heading to Ukraine. The Syrian government is likely to be wary of Syrian fighters flocking to Ukraine, opening up front-line opportunities that many of its opponents could take advantage of.
In a potentially troubling sign for the Syrian government, Russia has severely curtailed its operations in Syria since the start of the war in Ukraine, with fewer airstrikes targeting ISIS or opposition positions in Idlib.
“Any change in the attitude of Russian forces or militias in favor of the regime creates security gaps that could be exploited by opposition elements, such as Turkey, ISIS, Al Qaeda and Syrian opposition groups,” the ISW report said.
Muhannad Haj Ali, a former lawmaker and commander of the armed wing of Syria’s ruling Baath party, said no Syrians had gone to fight in Ukraine and that he did not expect anyone to go.
He said he was confident Russia would win in Ukraine without the help of the Syrians.
“The way businesses are evolving is a clear indication that Ukraine will not be another Afghanistan,” he said.
