Kyiv: Assad promises Putin 40,000 Syrian mercenaries will be sent to Ukraine
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has promised Russian president Vladimir Putin to provide 40,000 fighters for the war in Ukraine, reports the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
According to intelligence reports, the command of the Russian military base in Khmeimim airbase was instructed to send up to 300 militants to Ukraine every day. On March 15, 150 mercenaries left this base for the Russian Federation.
This Russian base in Syria is expected to be used to move weapons, military equipment, and other resources from Syria to Russia and Belarus to support the Russian troops in Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Intelligence, during recruitment, mercenaries are promised that they will perform exclusively police functions to restore order in the occupied territories.
"But recently, the mercenaries have begun to learn that they will take part in hostilities against the Ukrainian army. This significantly reduced the morale of the Syrians," the Main Intelligence Directorate said.
In addition, more than 30 mercenaries who were injured in Ukraine recently returned to the Khmeimim base from Russia. This caused some militants to refuse to participate in hostilities against Ukrainians.
"Some of the mercenaries consider going to Russia and Belarus as a chance for further desertion and illegal migration to the EU countries," the Ukrainian intelligence service added.