Russian drone operators trained in Syria for war against Ukraine – UA intelligence

Russian operators are being trained in Syria to use drones in the war against Ukraine. 

Specifically, they're learning how to operate the Shahed-136 and Ababil-3 drones, Rubryka reports, citing the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence.

"The Defense Intelligence informs us that Russian operators of Iranian-produced drones are being trained in Syria," the statement reads.

According to intelligence reports, the training for Russian operators is happening at the Shayrat military airbase, involving personnel from the Lebanese Hezbollah police and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. 

"The training program includes mastering the Shahed-136 and "Ababil-3″ UAVs, as well as the remotely piloted aircraft Raad," the General Staff adds.

One of the commanders of Hezbollah, Kamal Abu Sadiq, who specializes in manufacturing and servicing drones, is leading the military training.

"Syrian mercenaries are also undergoing training alongside the Russians, whom Moscow plans to deploy as drone operators in the war against Ukraine," the department states.

Syria's Role in the War in Ukraine

In March 2023, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. At that time, he claimed that Russia was supposedly fighting "neo-Nazis" and "old Nazis" supported by the West.

Even at the beginning of Russia's full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia was recruiting Syrians who could conduct combat operations in urban areas. They were to be used for the assault on Ukrainian cities.

The Syrian Shayrat airbase has been targeted multiple times by both the US and Israel in different years.

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad also recognized the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as Russian.

Given all this, on May 2, 2023, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law terminating the agreements between the governments of Ukraine and the Syrian Arab Republic on trade, economic, and technical cooperation.

How Does Russia Recruit Foreigners for the War Against Ukraine?

Russia is recruiting mercenaries for the war against Ukraine in Syria. They are being issued Russian passports through an expedited procedure.

The aggressor country also enlisted 15,000 residents of Nepal into its army after, in 2023, the Russian government announced favorable conditions of service for foreign fighters joining the Russian army.

Moreover, Russians intend to manufacture Shahed kamikaze drones in Belarus. Iranian engineers visited Belarus on a business trip.

A group of Iranian instructors who train Russian military personnel and coordinate the launches of Iranian kamikaze drones was spotted in Belarus.

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