Kyiv: Russia deploying Syrian mercenaries in 'meat grinder' assaults in Luhansk
Syrian mercenaries sent by Russia to conduct what have been termed "meat grinder" assaults in the Luhansk region. Photo: GUR.
War-ravaged Syria has become a primary source for Russia's recruitment of men for combat in Ukraine, as reported by the press service of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.
These mercenaries are lured with promises of Russian passports and paid work, but few return home.
The plight of Syrian mercenaries can be seen through the stories of Mohamed Mansur and Wahid Mursal Al-Shibli. Both fought against Ukraine as part of the 488th Motor Rifle Regiment, 114th Motor Rifle Division of the Russian occupation forces — Military Unit 12721.
In July, Mansur, alongside a squad of 14 Syrian mercenaries, was sent to attack near the city of Svatove in the Luhansk region. Ukrainian forces responded with heavy fire. Requests for the evacuation of injured were denied by Russian commanders, who ordered the Syrians to continue their assault. Mansur, having been wounded, disobeyed this order and fled the battlefield. Other units were devastated, with the Russians listing the fighters as missing in action.
On September 15, Syrian social media reported the death of one of their citizens in the Ukraine conflict — Wahid Mursal Al-Shibli, who had acquired a Russian passport and joined an assault squad of seven mercenaries targeting Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region. The group was overpowered, and Mursal sustained wounds that led to his death as the evacuation never came. The fate of his fellow Syrian fighters remains unknown.