Scores of Ukrainians training militants in Syria – media
A group of instructors from Ukraine has reportedly arrived in Syria’s northern Idlib province to train militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan claimed on Wednesday. The alleged deployment has also been reported by Russia’s RIA Novosti news outlet, citing a source in Syria.
According to the reports, there is “confirmed information” that as many as 250 Ukrainian military experts have arrived in Syria and have been dispersed to industrial workshops and several sites in the city of Idlib, which is controlled by so-called 'rebels' and Islamic militants, as well as to the countryside of Jisr al-Shughur.
The Ukrainian specialists have reportedly traveled to the country to train the terrorist militants to manufacture and operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
“The [Ukrainian military] is training militants affiliated with the Turkistan Islamic Party under the command of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, to assemble and upgrade drones in order to increase their combat and reconnaissance capabilities,” RIA’s source said.
He added that the terrorists have already received components from the Ukrainian military to assemble more than 250 drones. In exchange, the militant group reportedly provided Kiev with a detachment of its fighters.
Meanwhile, Al-Watan also claimed, citing sources in Idlib, that the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Kirill Budanov, has been in constant contact with the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group, Abu Mohammad Julani.
The two have allegedly been discussing recruiting militants to participate in military operations against Russia, the outlet’s source claimed, noting that the recruitment is primarily being carried out among people from post-Soviet countries and that preparations, as well as their transfer to Ukraine, have been underway for at least two months.
Last week, the Turkish news outlet Aydinlik also reported that Ukrainian security officials had been holding secret meetings with jihadists in Syria, allegedly offering drones in exchange for the release of Chechen and Georgian extremists who would be sent to Ukraine to fight Russia.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has since urged the US to prevent Kiev from recruiting jihadists in Syria, stating that such a move could lead to “dangerous developments across the board.”
The diplomat stressed that Russia considers the US ultimately responsible for Ukraine’s actions since it “completely and totally controls Kiev.” A further escalation of the Ukraine conflict “may end very badly” for the Americans, Ryabkov warned.
