Hundreds of Syrian mercenaries hardened from years of civil war are rushing to fight with Russia

Hundreds of battle-hardened Syrian mercenaries are signing up to join Russian forces on the promise of earning $1,000-a-month, as Moscow continues to struggle to make significant gains in its war in Ukraine.

Syrian fighters have gained years of experience fighting in their country’s civil war, which has all but crushed both ISIS and the rebel resistance, but left the economy in tatters.

But now those who honed their skills during President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal 11-year-war cannot find work at home. Instead, they are choosing to become mercenaries, fighting for foreign countries in order to earn a living.

The first group of at least 300 of Syrian fighters has already arrived in Russia to begin military training – and to return the favour to Moscow for helping Al-Assad in the civil war, the New York Times reports. And with Syrian an economic basket case, many more are expected to follow.

Recruiters in Syria are reportedly offering mercenaries between $1,000 to $2,000 to join Vladimir Putin’s forces invading of Ukraine. 

They are said to have drawn up a long list of thousands of willing candidates.

The newspaper reports that they will first be vetted by Syrian security services and then sent on their way to the Russians. While some are thankful to Russia for its assistance in the civil war – most just need the money.

Applicants to fight in Ukraine must be between 20 and 45 years old and 110 and 200 pounds, one source in Syria told the New York Times. 

Those with military experience go to the front of the line, but all must be screened.

The group of 300 that has already arrived in Russia is reportedly from the Syrian Army’s elite 25th Division – also known as the Tiger Forces. They have previous experience fighting with Russians. 

The source said that when Syrians heard Russia was looking for 16,000 mercenaries to go to Ukraine, there was a rush to sign up. He said that the Russians have offered $1,200-per-week with a bonus of $3,000 upon their return.

Their families have also been promised a one-off sum of $2,800 and $800-a-month should the mercenary be killed in combat when fighting for Russia.

But Bassam Alahmad – the head of Syrians for Truth and Justice – told the New York Times that the practice was a form of predatory recruitment by Russia.

Moscow, he said, was targeting the most desperate in Syria who are being told they will be given up non-combat roles, when in reality they could be signing their lives away only to be killed in a foreign country.

‘Some people don’t mind fighting, but there are groups that are definitely taking advantage of people’s needs,’ Mr. Alahmad told the American newspaper.

‘The result is the same: People are paying this price. People are participating in wars that aren’t theirs.’ 

In the aftermath of the civil war, Syria has become an exporter of mercenaries, with fighters from the country already selling their services in Azerbaijan, Libya and the Central African Republic. 

And while Syrian fighters may have years of experience fighting in their own country, they will now find themselves facing a Ukrainian army that is just as battle-hardened, fighting on their own land to defend their country.

Many Ukrainian soldiers have been fighting against Russia or pro-Russian troops since 2014, when the war in the eastern Donbas region broke out. In the eight years since fighting in the region began, an estimated 14,000 people have been killed.

Experts say that the resistance put up by Kyiv’s forces has taken Moscow by complete surprise, with the Kremlin expecting a swift invasion by its large armies would quickly overthrow Ukraine’s democratically elected government.

The opposite has been true. Despite their inferior numbers, Ukrainian troops have proven to be more capable and effective than Russia’s, which have suffered devastating losses. One NATO estimate puts Russian losses as high as 15,000.

In addition to the troops from Syria arriving as reinforcements, Moscow is expected to soon be deploying more mercenaries from the feared Wagner group.

The director of Britain’s intelligence agency GCHQ Jeremy Fleming said yesterday that the group was ‘taking it up a gear’ after being active in the country since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

‘The group works as a shadow branch of the Russian military, providing implausible deniability for riskier operations,’ he said. 

The United States and the European Union consider the Wagner Group – which was also deployed to Syria to help Assad’s forces quell the rebels – to be a surrogate of the Russian military. The Kremlin denies it even exists.

Wagner is ‘looking at relocating forces from other conflicts and recruiting new fighters to bolster numbers. These soldiers are likely to be used as cannon fodder to try to limit Russian military losses,’ he said.

U.K. officials said a day earlier that they expected Wagner to send up to 1,000 mercenaries to take part in combat operations in Ukraine after the regular Russian military suffered heavy losses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in the past that Wagner and other private groups neither represent the Russian state nor are paid by it, though he says they have a right to operate provided they do not break Russian law.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Wagner last year, accusing it of fuelling violence, looting natural resources and destabilising countries around the world.