Russia in Syria actively recruits men for war in Ukraine - DIU

This was reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Ukrinform reports.

“War-torn, poverty-stricken Syria has become one of the countries where Russia is actively recruiting men to fight. The mercenaries are promised Russian passports and paid work, after which few return,” the report says.

The intelligence cited the example of the recruitment of Syrians Mohammed Mansour and Waheed Mursal al-Shibli by the Russians. They fought against Ukraine as part of the 488th motorized rifle regiment of the 114th motorized rifle division of the Russian occupation army (military unit 12721).

In July 2024, Mansur was sent by the Russians as part of a detachment of 14 Syrian mercenaries to attack near the town of Svatove, Luhansk region. They were covered by Ukrainian soldiers. The Russian invaders rejected the request to evacuate the wounded and ordered the Syrians to continue the assault. Mansur, who was wounded, did not comply with the Russians' order and fled the battlefield. The rest of the mercenary unit was defeated. The Russians reported them as missing. 

On September 15, 2024, Syrian publics wrote about the death of their citizen during the war against Ukraine - a peasant, Waheed Mursal al-Shibli, received a Russian passport and went to storm Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region as part of a group of 7 mercenaries. The group was defeated, Mursal was wounded and died due to the lack of evacuation. The fate of the rest of the Syrian militants is unknown, the DIU noted.

According to the military intelligence, Russia has set up a scheme with travel agencies to recruit Syrians for the war against Ukraine. At first, the poor are offered jobs as security guards in Russian oil provinces, and then lured with higher salaries to participate in “meat assaults.”

Earlier, the DIU reported on mercenaries from Africa who are being recruited by Russia for the war against Ukraine.