New Delhi: Russia is recruiting Syrians, who are skilled in urban combat, to help Moscow take over Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as it intensifies its invasion, reported Wall Street Journal quoting some US officials.
As per WSJ, four US officials said that an American assessment indicates that Russia, which has had an operating presence in Syria since 2015, has been recruiting fighters from there to facilitate the swift invasion.
While it is still unclear as to many fighters have Putin recruited so far, reports suggest that some are already present in Russia and preparing to enter the fight against Ukraine soon, reported WSJ.
According to a Syria based publication, Moscow has offered between $200 and $300 to the volunteers from the country “to go to Ukraine and operate as guards” for six months at a time, reported WSJ.
The WSJ report also suggests that fighters from other countries including the Chechen Republic are being hired to participate in the escalation against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the war between Russia and Ukraine entered its 12th day on Monday (March 7) and Eight civilians were killed in the midst of an evacuation in Ukraine’s Irpin after Russian troops opened shelling.
So far over 360 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement Sunday.
Notably, 1,123 civilians have been wounded, including 364 killed and 759 injured, OHCHR said, acknowledging that the real figures are likely “considerably higher.”
The number of refugees who fled the country since the invasion has crossed the 1.2 million mark, said United Nations.
