Russia has a list of 40,000 Syrian army fighters and allied militias ready to join its military operation in Ukraine, a monitoring agency said on Tuesday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) noted that Russian officials, in coordination with Syrian military and allied militias, set up registry offices in government-controlled areas.
The revelation came a week after the Kremlin said that volunteers, including those from Syria, will be admitted to fight alongside the Russian army in Ukraine.
“More than 40,000 Syrians have signed up to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the London-based observatory, which has an extensive network of sources in Syria.
Moscow is looking for Syrians with combat experience in the 11-year civil war in Syria to prop up the invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.
Russian officials sent to Syria to support Damascus have given their go-ahead to 22,000 of those registered, Abdel Rahman said.
Some of them came out of army units or pro-government militia groups with experience in urban combat and trained by Moscow.
Russia promised them a monthly salary of $1,100 to fight in Ukraine, well above their salaries of between $15 and $35, the observatory reported.
He also offered them compensation of $7,700 if they are injured and their families will receive $16,500 if they die in combat.
Another 18,000 men registered with the ruling Baath party and will be evaluated by the Wagner Group, a Russian military contractor, the monitoring agency said.
He indicated that so far he has no confirmation that the Syrian recruits have left for Ukraine.
A representative of the Syrian government denied the recruitment reported by the observatory.
“So far no names have been recorded, no soldiers have registered, and no one has traveled to Russia to fight in Ukraine,” Omar Rahmoun of the National Reconciliation Committee told AFP.
aya-rh/jmm/dv/mas/zm
Últimas Noticias
Debanhi Escobar: they secured the motel where she was found lifeless in a cistern
Members of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Nuevo León secured the Nueva Castilla Motel as part of the investigations into the case
The oldest person in the world died at the age of 119
Kane Tanaka lived in Japan. She was born six months earlier than George Orwell, the same year that the Wright brothers first flew, and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize
Macabre find in CDMX: they left a body bagged and tied in a taxi
The body was left in the back seats of the car. It was covered with black bags and tied with industrial tape
The eagles of America will face Manchester City in a duel of legends. Here are the details
The top Mexican football champion will play a match with Pep Guardiola's squad in the Lone Star Cup
Why is it good to bring dogs out to know the world when they are puppies
A so-called protection against the spread of diseases threatens the integral development of dogs
