While Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a policy to send foreign fighters to Ukraine, there is a movement to go to Ukraine as a soldier as if he was looking for a reward from Syria in the Middle East where the civil war continues, and the fighting in the field It may cause intensification.
In Syria, with the cooperation of the Assad administration backed by Russia, recruitment of soldiers is being promoted in various places to take part in the battle in Ukraine on the Russian side, gathering local information. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 40,000 people have already registered.
It seems that the selection is currently based on combat experience, and some may have already been dispatched from the Syrian air force base where Russian troops are stationed.
In the southern part of Sweda, where recruitment of soldiers is being carried out, a rally was held on the 12th in support of Russia, which invaded Ukraine.
At the rally, a poster showing President Putin and President Assad together was put up, and the people who gathered said, "Syria and Russia are one."
In the city, a local police station has set up a registration center for soldiers, and people who wish to be dispatched to Ukraine are visiting for registration.
A 29-year-old man who was a former government soldier who had completed registration told NHK that he would be transferred to an air force base in Ratakia in the northwest as soon as the application was approved, and would be dispatched after signing a contract. It will be. "
As for the reason for becoming a soldier, the man said, "It's because of Russia, which has a hard time living and supported us in the civil war." I was told that $ 3000 would be paid in the back too. "
"He may be the way to death, but I don't want to miss this opportunity to support my family," he said.
Meanwhile, the registration of soldiers to stand on the Ukrainian side and fight the Russian army has also begun in Syria.
These registrations are taking place in the northwestern province of Idlib, where the rebels are based, and a 36-year-old former rebel combatant who said he had completed the procedure said, "Large-scale battles and clashes. We are accustomed to this kind of fight, but we have two reasons to apply, one is to fight Russia and the other is financially due to hardships. "
It is not clear if the Ukrainian government will accept such troops, but as each organization within the Syrian rebels is accepting registration, the man said, "I have registered my name and necessary information. , I am waiting for the next instruction. I am not only volunteering for 10 or 20 people, and I am waiting in the same way. "
Syrian soldiers have also been dispatched to Libya in North Africa and the disputed territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the former Soviet Union, and have become one of the factors complicating the conflict.
Experts have suggested that this dispatch to Ukraine may be put into urban warfare, which may lead to intensified fighting in Ukraine.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights "The situation gets worse" Strong concern
Regarding the move to send Syrian soldiers to Ukraine, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Lami Abdul Rahman said in a solo interview with NHK on the 13th, "Syrian soldiers are willing to sacrifice civilians and make the situation worse. He expressed strong concern.
Among them, Abdul Rahman has registered more than 40,000 Syrian soldiers who fight on the Russian side, including former Syrian soldiers, and many are selected based on their combat experience. , Pointed out that it was aimed at rewards due to hardships.
The selection emphasizes whether or not they have experience in guerrilla warfare, and it is possible that some of them have already been dispatched from an air force base where Russian troops in northwestern Syria are stationed.
On top of that, "Syrian soldiers are called'hired murderers' in Libya, and as the name implies, they are willing to sacrifice civilians, whether in Ukraine or anywhere. It will make it worse, "he said, expressing strong concern.
He also pointed out that Russian military tactics in Ukraine were once carried out in Syria, saying, "Make a retreat in advance before siege the city, and if the opponent does not retreat, completely siege, surrender and dominate. It's a way to continue suffering from hunger and bombing until it's put down, "he said, accusing Russia of repeated humanitarian crises in Syria.
11 years since the demonstration leading to the Syrian Civil War
In Syria, on March 15, 11 years ago, anti-government protests spread throughout the country in the form of a democratization movement called the "Arab Spring," which was suppressed by the Assad administration, leading to a fierce civil war.
The civil war has become bogged down by the radical organization IS = Islamic State expanding its power due to the turmoil, and according to the "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" that gathers local information, the death toll has risen to 499,657. About one in three of them is a civilian.
In addition, one in two people was displaced from their homes in the civil war, and according to the United Nations, more than 6.7 million refugees have fled the country.
The Assad administration, which was once inferior, regained rebels and IS-controlled areas one after another with the support of Russian airstrikes from 2015.
Meanwhile, the Assad regime has almost certainly secured a military victory as the rebels split into pieces, cornered in and around Idlib Governorate in the northwest, and the IS weakened.
Since the ceasefire agreement between Russia, which supports the Asad administration, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, the large-scale battle has subsided, but the administration, the rebels, and the United States have supported the northeastern part. Countries such as the de facto controlling Kurdish forces have been divided and sporadic clashes continue.
In addition, the process of aiming for a political solution, such as drafting a constitution for free and fair elections based on a resolution of the UN Security Council, has been stalled, and the end of the civil war cannot be foreseen.
Abdul Rahman, representative of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said, "The only solution to end the civil war is to change Syria with the power of the international community, but given the current conflict between Russia and the United States, we cannot hope for that. Will not be united again in the near future, "he said, recognizing that Syria's peace was farther away in the wake of the situation in the United States.