UKRAINE WARRussia Enlisting 40,000 Syrian Soldiers, Militia Members to Bolster Russia’s Forces in Ukraine

Published 15 March 2022

Russia has told the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad to draw up lists of 40,000 fighters from Syrian army and militias allied with the Syrian military, and put them on standby for deployment in Ukraine. Kurds in northern Syria are sending volunteers to help Ukraine.

Russia has told the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad to draw up lists of 40,000 fighters from Syrian army and militias allied with the Syrian military, and put them on standby for deployment in Ukraine.

Russia last week said that volunteers, including from Syria, were welcome to fight alongside the Russian army in Ukraine.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Russian officers, in coordination with the Syrian military and allied militia, had set up registration offices in regime-held areas of Syria.

“More than 40,000 Syrians have registered to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine so far,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads SOHR.

Russia is recruiting Syrians who gained combat experience during Syria’s 11-year civil war. Abdel Rahman said that Russian officers, deployed to Syria since September 2015, when Russia launched its all-out effort to save the Assad regime, have already approved 22,000 of them.

The Moscow Times reports that these fighters are either combatants drawn from the army or pro-regime militias, with emphasis being placed on those Syrians who had received Russian training.

In Syria, soldiers typically earn between $15 and $35 per month, but Russia has promised them a salary of $1,100 a month to fight in Ukraine, SOHR reported. Those deploying to Ukraine are also eligible for $7,700 in compensation for injuries in battle. If a Syrian soldier is killed in Ukraine, his family will receive a one-time payment of $16,500.

In addition to the 22,000 Syrian soldiers and militia fighters already screened and approved by the Russian military, there are 18,000 additional men who have registered with Syria’s ruling Ba’ath party and who would be screened by members of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor with links to the Kremlin, SOHR said.

SOHR noted that it has not yet been confirmed that Syrian soldiers have left Syria for Ukraine.

Abdel Rahman said Russia had drawn Syrian army recruits from the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, once better known as the “Tiger Forces,” and from the Russian-run 5th Division.

Fighters from the Palestinian Liwaa al-Quds group and the Ba’ath party’s military branch had also enlisted.

Syrian mercenaries have fought on opposing sides of foreign conflicts, in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Regime-allied groups have opened recruitment centers in the eastern towns of Al-Mayadeen and Deir Ezzor, according to Omar Abu Layla, who heads the Deir Ezzor 24 media outlet.

“Wagner started the whole thing in Deir Ezzor; only dozens have registered so far,” he said.

“In a country that lacks basic necessities, some have no choice but to fight… for a few hundred dollars.”

Recruits for Ukraine
In northern Syria, Turkey-backed rebels are also gearing up to send fighters – but to the opposing side.

An AFP reporter in northern Syria said the factions preparing for sending their fighters to Ukraine include the Sultan Murad, Sulaiman Shah, and Hamza divisions, all of which had previously sent hundreds of fighters to fight in Libya and Azerbaijan.