For the Kremlin, sending foreign fighters to Ukraine is justified because, according to him, the West facilitates the arrival of “mercenaries” in support of the Ukrainian army.
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Russia announced on Friday March 11 that Syrian nationals could volunteer to fight Ukrainian forces. “If the Western world is so enthusiastic about the idea of the arrival of various and varied mercenaries, then on our side we also have volunteers who want to participate”said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian presidency. “Those who want, who have asked [à partir combattre] are nationals of the Middle East, Syrians”he added, quoting Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
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Russia has provided considerable military support to the Syrian regime since the fall of 2015. It has supported its forces against both those of the opposition and those of the jihadists, de facto saving the power of Bashar Al-Assad, who now controls most of Syria.
Shortly before this announcement, Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered to facilitate the dispatch of fighters “volunteers” in Ukraine in response to the delivery, according to him, of “mercenaries” by the West.
For its part, the Pentagon has already accused, on March 8, Russia of recruiting Syrians to carry out its invasion. These soldiers are in addition to all the combat forces massed in recent months on the Russian-Ukrainian border, more than 150,000 soldiers, according to Washington.