Commander of the 8th brigade in the southern Syrian province of Dera, Colonel Nasim Abu Irra, and General of the Russian armed forces Alexander Zhuravlev (acting commander of a Russian group in the southern Syrian provinces) met on March 22.
During the meeting, the Russian general made a clear request to form and provide a list of names and personal information of militants from Abu Irra’s units and the Syrian Defense Forces, who are ready to take part in the war against Ukraine, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
The Syrian colonel gave no clear answer to the request. Instead, he promised to get in touch after “consulting with other members of the 8th Brigade leadership.”
To date, the Syrian government’s previous promises of a systematic supply of mercenaries to the Russian army have not been fulfilled. The promised “light walk” was replaced by reports of fierce fighting and heavy losses sustained by the Russians. Most of the Syrian forces are not willing to risk their lives for illusory financial reward.
It is known that currently Russian operatives are also trying to agree on the recruitment of mercenaries with the 16th brigade of the Syrian Arab Republic.
It should be recalled that Russia has been subjected to more sanctions than North Korea, Chile, and Cuba in the past 70 years. The Kremlin also threatened that sending peacekeepers to Ukraine would mean the start of a war between Russia and NATO.
