The Syrian opposition began protesting at the end of February 2011 under the slogan of changing the constitution and abolishing the one-party system, under which power belongs to the Baath Party, led by President Bashar al-Assad. A month later there was a demand for his resignation. Dissatisfaction was also caused by the dominance of representatives in leadership positions religious movement Alawites, to which Assad belongs. Assad's departure became the main condition for the opposition to begin negotiations to resolve the situation.
Representative of the Free Syrian Army (the armed wing of the Syrian opposition) Fahd al-Masri: "We need help so that we can overthrow the current authorities and get rid of extremist groups. We are against terrorism, against massacres. We do not want to kill people who support the government because they are Syrians. We believe that extremists have no place in our country "After President (Bashar) Assad leaves, there will be no place for Islamists in Syria."
What the country's authorities say
According to the Syrian authorities, they are fighting international terrorist groups who receive support from abroad.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: “All the problems that we are now facing are related to security issues, they can only be solved by defeating terrorism. Therefore, if we win the people’s war, then Syria will be able to overcome this crisis within a few months.”
Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi: "US military intervention will create a very serious consequences and that fireball that will ignite the Middle East."
How the world community is divided on the issue of Syria
The United States, Turkey, as well as France, Great Britain and most other EU countries announced their support for the Syrian opposition, which in November 2012 united into the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCROF). Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others Arab countries The Persian Gulf considers the NKSROS to be the "legitimate representative of the Syrian people." It is they who provide the main material and technical assistance to the opposition, placing all the blame on the ruling regime for the conflict, which, according to UN estimates, has already claimed more than 100 thousand lives.
A new round of conflict arose in August 2013, when a number of media outlets reported on the large-scale use of chemical weapons in the vicinity of Damascus. According to preliminary data, more than 600 people became victims of the attack. The Syrian National Opposition Coalition claims that the number of victims could reach 1.3 thousand people. After the incident, the parties to the conflict repeatedly declared their innocence, blaming their opponents for the incident. UN inspectors traveled to Damascus to collect necessary tests and biological samples. The possible use of chemical weapons has sparked a global debate about the need to start military operation in Syria.
US President Barack Obama: "After Iraq, people are taking accusations about weapons of mass destruction and the accuracy of such information very seriously. I am not interested in repeating the same mistakes that were made by intelligence. But with reliable information, I can say with confidence that chemical weapons were used."
"I try to promote diplomacy and peaceful resolution of conflicts. But the issue now concerns the entire international community, the entire civil society, not just me, not just politics - how safe are we? We must oppose actions that disturb our peace."
British Prime Minister David Cameron: "Chemical weapons should not be used. Assad has crossed such a line, this is the first significant use of such chemical weapons."
All BRICS countries - Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, as well as Iran and a number of Latin American countries - are against a forced change of power and in favor of resolving the future of Syria exclusively through negotiations between the authorities and the opposition.
Russian President Vladimir Putin: “We have no evidence that these chemicals, it is not yet known whether these are chemical weapons or just some chemical harmful substances, were used specifically by the Syrian official government army. In our opinion, it seems completely ridiculous that the regular armed forces who are actually attacking today, in some places they have simply surrounded the so-called rebels and are essentially finishing them off so that under these conditions they begin to use prohibited chemical weapons, knowing full well that this may be a reason for taking sanctions against them, including the use strength. It’s just ridiculous, it doesn’t fit into any logic.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: “If anyone thinks that by bombing the Syrian military infrastructure and leaving the battlefield for opponents of the regime to win, everything will end, then this is an illusion. Even if such a victory is won, the civil war will continue. Only those who represented the government side, will be the opposition. We are already seeing the dire consequences of previous interventions in conflicts in this region."
“For some, the passion is like the desire to fight in Syria”
RIA Novosti columnist Konstantin Bogdanov: “You have to have an extremely unclouded consciousness in order to, while UN experts are working in the country, take and hit the partisans with another portion of combat chemicals. Various claims can be made against Bashar Assad, but the son of Hafez Assad in a couple of years civil war He convincingly proved that he is a smart and tough politician. For some, the passion is like a desire to fight in Syria. But America really doesn’t want to get involved in Syria.”
Follow the latest news about events in the country in the "" story.
The situation around Syria in last days, creates a feeling of the approaching Apocalypse. And this feeling is diligently fueled by experts, looking back in fear every now and then at the shadow of the Third World War that they have seen. The gray lips of analysts, among whom, as usual, there are quite a few couch potatoes, whisper: the world is sitting on a powder keg.
Of course, the tension of the situation is very reminiscent of the events of the 60s of the last century. And columnist Dave Majumdar talks about this, for example, in his publication for the National Interest. But at the same time, it is also more dangerous: over the past decades, the United States has lost the experience of “interacting with another power,” but has acquired the habit of looking down on other states, expecting the immediate execution of any decree coming from Washington.
Today everything is different, of course. The theater of military operations also changed. At the center of events is Syria, whose fate Washington, and with it its loyal allies, really want to decide in its usual manner. At any moment they are ready to launch a full-scale operation against Syrian government forces.
The legitimate Syrian government is supported by Russia and Iran. This causes tense anticipation in the world of a possible direct collision. Russian troops with the armies of the West.
On the night of April 10, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held, the topic of which was the state of emergency in the Duma. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said Washington would respond to the attack.
The UN Security Council meeting has not yet led to anything. For now it is suspended for consultations on draft resolutions on the investigation of what happened in the city of Duma. Before this, Russia proposed a resolution to send an OPCW mission there. The day before, the Swedish delegation introduced a similar document. The draft resolution proposed by Russia did not receive support from the UN Security Council. For its part, Russia vetoed the American resolution.
After this, US Permanent Representative to the UN Nikki Haley called on Security Council members to vote against Russian version or abstain.
"Our resolutions are similar, but there are also important differences. The key point is that our resolution ensures that any investigations are truly independent. And the Russian resolution gives Russia itself the chance to choose investigators and then evaluate their work,” she said, adding that “there is nothing independent about this.”
What do the US themselves offer? In fact, to establish a special “chemical WADA” under its own leadership.
While spears are breaking in the UN Security Council, Washington is again playing its game according to a scenario that has already been tested in the Syrian crisis, and they did not even bother to rewrite it.
Let's remember April 2017. The Syrian opposition claims a chemical attack allegedly carried out in the north of the country, in the settlement of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian government forces have been named as the perpetrators of the attack, but in response they strongly deny the accusations and place responsibility on the militants and their patrons.
An investigation into the chemical attack has not yet been conducted, and no real evidence of the guilt of the Syrian authorities has been presented. However, three days later, on the night of April 7, Trump almost single-handedly decided to launch a missile strike on the Syrian military air base of Shayrat. According to the Pentagon, a total of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US Navy ships and submarines.
And even after this raid, despite the fact that official Damascus has repeatedly offered all possible assistance in investigating the events in Khan Sheikhoun and ensuring the safety of a group of experts during their visit to the Shayrat base, where ammunition with chemical weapons were allegedly stored, the experts did not visit Syria no objects suspected of being linked to a chemical attack in Idlib province.
And now, a year later, the situation is repeated almost exactly like a carbon copy. Again, accusations of chemical attacks - now two.
The White Helmets organization (again this scandalous well-known organization!) reported that in the Duma, controlled by the Jaysh al-Islam group, as a result chemical attack On April 7, 70 people died and thousands were injured. According to them, bombs containing sarin or chlorine were dropped by Syrian Air Force helicopters. Let us note this point in the margins - the T4 and Dumeir helicopter bases in southern Syria, in light of this accusation, may well become targets of a US strike.
In the meantime, a day later, in the Syrian province of Homs, the government airfield "Tifor" (T4) was attacked. The Russian military said the airstrike was carried out by the Israeli Air Force.
The United States declares its confidence that in the Syrian Duma it was used Chemical substance, however, they cannot yet say exactly which one, but Bashar Assad and Russia are to blame for this, which “did not control” him.
Donald Trump takes the floor again and says that within 48 hours he will decide what the US response will be. And how the American military knows how to respond is well known...
Journalists from the presidential pool manage to ask Trump a question: does he blame Putin for what is happening in Syria? "Yes, maybe (he is responsible). And if he is (responsible), it will be very, very tough," Trump threatened. “Everyone will pay for this, he will pay, everyone will pay,” the US President said. By “everyone,” of course, we mean Russia and Iran.
And all this - against the backdrop of repeated warnings from the Russian side that the militants being squeezed out of Syria, as well as the parties supporting them (they were not named out loud, but it was already clear who they were talking about) we're talking about) are preparing provocations of this kind.
Provocations with the use of chemical weapons and new, stronger US strikes on Damascus began to be talked about seriously after the start of a military operation by the Syrian army to liberate Eastern Ghouta from terrorists in the suburbs of Damascus.
The West did not pay attention to the fact that in early March they announced that they had discovered a laboratory for the production of chemical weapons in a territory liberated from terrorists. locality Aftris, on March 13, the Syrian military found a laboratory and a warehouse with toxic substances in the settlement of Shefonia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense and the Syrian government denied reports of a chemical attack in Duma, calling them fake and a provocation. The heads of Western countries did not believe Russia. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson recalled the unfulfilled Russian commitments of 2013 - to ensure that Syria renounces the use of chemical weapons and completely destroys them on the country's territory.
And this despite the fact that back in 2014, Syria’s entire chemical arsenal was removed from the country under the control of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Now almost everything suggests that the conflict in Syria is about to move from the cold to the hot stage. Reuters experts, all as one, report Washington’s plans to strike the Russian Khmeimim airbase in Syria. And the White House itself stated that the Khmeimim airfield is the starting point for bombing in Eastern Ghouta in violation of the truce.
In addition, Trump’s unpredictability means his statements about the need to withdraw American troops from Syria, then a new round of escalation around the Syrian problem could ultimately lead to the fact that the President of the United States, against the backdrop of a worsening domestic political crisis around himself, could “drag America into war.”
The parties considered various options actions, including a massive strike, exceeding in strength the attack on the Shayrat airbase in April 2017. It is clarified that none of the leaders of the three countries has made a firm decision on this issue.
Prime Minister of Great Britain Theresa May told Trump that London needed "more evidence of a possible chemical attack in Syria before it could join in striking that country. Thus, May refused to participate in the “quick retribution,” she found out.
On April 10, French President Macron said that if a decision is made on a military strike on Syria, the main targets will be the chemical facilities of the Syrian authorities, the strikes will not be aimed at allies of the Syrian government or specific individuals, and the final decision on a possible forceful response to the “chemical attack” will be accepted in the coming days.
And this question has already become a subject of discussion for experts: what objects could become the target of a strike by the United States and its allies? Could this be Assad's residence, located remotely from residential buildings? This option may look like a “slap in the face” to the Syrian leader. During a massive raid, air defense forces will not be able to cope with air targets.
Various sources report that in the Eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean NATO naval ships are concentrated, armed with more than six hundred SLCMs (sea-launched cruise missiles). Recall that three operations to invade Iraq and one into Afghanistan began with a strike cruise missiles from the above mentioned water areas.
What does such a concentration of forces mean? There is only one thing: intervention in Syria can begin just a couple of hours after receiving the corresponding order. And the world saw what the result of such a massive missile and air strike could be in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq. the main objective- destruction of important infrastructure and suppression of the resistance of the defenders.
By the way, in 2016, information appeared that the United States and NATO were already preparing a similar operation for Syria, but did not dare to implement it.
While in different offices and on different levels deciding what tomorrow might become, there is still an opportunity to look at it from the outside. According to some analysts, Syria today is the only place where Russia is trying to extinguish the “enthusiasm of the warmongers.”
And it seems to some, apparently, that this is the permitted place for “war games,” and that’s why everyone is playing.
The situation in the East remains tense. What is really happening in Syria now in 2018 is covered by all the world news. The civil confrontation that began in 2011 escalated into a real war. Majority large countries somehow involved in the conflict. Based on the latest news, there is no talk of imminent reconciliation.
Chemical strike
In early April, a chemical attack was carried out on the province of Idlib. A video recording of footage from the scene of the attack spread throughout the Internet. The world media immediately reported the deaths of civilians. The West immediately accused the Assad regime of involvement in this attack. In turn, the Syrian government does not admit its guilt; moreover, it questions the chemical strike itself. The government says operations have been carried out to destroy terrorist ammunition depots. It is possible that chemical weapons were also stored in these warehouses.
On April 9, a meeting of the UN Security Council was urgently convened. The meeting was attended by representatives of the United States and 8 other countries, who spoke sharply about the situation in Syria. It is worth noting that French President Macron warned at the beginning of March about the impossibility of using chemical weapons. His address stated that if it was used, France would retaliate against Syrian territory.
TO active actions several prominent Republicans and Trump called. The US government was considering the option of withdrawing American troops from Syria.
In an appeal to the president, parliamentarians recommended that he reconsider this issue. Meanwhile, Trump himself blamed the Kremlin for the victims of the chemical attack. According to him, part of the blame lies with Russia due to the fact that it supports the policies of Bashar al-Assad.
Donald Trump believes that his predecessor, Barack Obama, is also to blame for what happened. In his Twitter appeal, he argues that Obama should have crossed the line and ended the "Syrian disaster." The US President is confident that he will not make the same mistake and will see the matter through to the end.
Meanwhile, the Syrian government and its allies are responding to Western attacks. The Iranian Foreign Minister is confident that the US statement and European countries this is a conspiracy against the regime in Syria. His address says that the West is making its statements in order to be able to strike at Syrian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an appeal calling the West's statement a provocation and a cover for terrorists.
It is necessary to prove that what is actually happening in Syria now, according to the news of 2018, is the work of the state government. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that it has irrefutable evidence that Great Britain is involved in organizing a provocation in Syria.
The West has begun to act
To be able to retaliate with a strike against Syria, the West must prove the existence of a chemical attack and the involvement of the Assad regime in it. Without waiting for the results of the audit, the US President ordered a strike on CAP. stated that the video of the chemical attack is evidence of a violation of the agreements that were signed in 2017. Great Britain and France are joining the ongoing operation. The missile strike on Syria was carried out on April 14 at 4.50.
110 missiles were aimed at both military and civilian objects. The military selected targets that were declared to be ammunition depots and chemical weapons development sites. Syrian troops independently repulsed the missiles with their air defense systems. It is known that the territories that are under the protection of the Russian military were not shelled.
The rocket attack lasted for an hour. But already at 7 am the residents of Damascus came out to a rally. With their spontaneous action, they decided to demonstrate that they will continue to fight against ISIS terrorists.
At the same time, most world powers supported the actions of the United States and allies. The governments of Canada and Turkey expressed their approval. Russia and a number of other countries expressed condemnation. The Kremlin demands that the issue of the legality of Trump’s actions be resolved at a UN meeting. Also by latest news, what is happening in Syria now, in April 2018, in fact, was condemned by US congressmen. By his actions, Donald Trump violated the American Constitution. By law, the president had to obtain the consent of the majority of parliamentarians before starting shelling of Syria.
Trump himself said in his order that the strike on Syria should be so powerful that it would affect the state’s allies, Russia and Iran. By official information 3 people died from the impact. It has been officially confirmed that Syria was warned of the impending attack. Therefore, it was possible to reduce the number of victims to a minimum. Missile strikes were applied to empty objects.
The conflict in Syria has continued for more than four years and is accompanied by mass casualties. Events constantly fall into the spotlight of the world media. Participates in the war great amount sides Many countries are involved in a crisis.
The conflict in Syria: where did it all start?
The war in the Middle East is still going on. Around the beginning of the conflict in Syria. The reasons are different for each of the current parties. But it all started with anti-government protests. The Baath Party has ruled Syria for more than 70 years. Last years Bashar al-Assad is president. The opposition, inspired in other countries, begins to radically criticize the government and calls on its supporters to take to the streets. In the spring the protests escalated sharply. There are violent clashes between protesters and the police and army. There are constant reports of deaths. A number of northern provinces are practically not controlled by the government. Bashar al-Assad declares that he is ready to seek a compromise and dissolves the cabinet of ministers. But it was already too late.
Important role played social media. Through Facebook and Twitter, the opposition coordinated its actions and called on people to take actions of disobedience. By summer, the conflict in Syria is gaining new momentum. Opponents of the government create armed groups, the West supports them and threatens Assad with sanctions if force is used.
Syria: history of the conflict
The clashes take on the character of full-scale hostilities. Rebels unite in A few months after the start of the protests, the opposition is actively joining radical Islamists. Midway through the year, a suicide bomber kills several senior government officials.
In the fall, fighting practically does not stop. The EU and the US actively support the rebels and provide them with technical and material assistance. A number of Western allies are introducing sanctions against Syria. Government troops managed to recapture a number of cities and secure reliable protection Damascus. The rebels announce plans to attack Aleppo, the second most populous city after the capital. They make several unsuccessful assaults.
International presence
The conflict in Syria is beginning to attract more and more external players. Türkiye officially begins to support the opposition. In the summer of 2012, immediately after announcing their entry into the war, government troops shot down a Turkish plane and opened fire on other targets. Later, artillery hits a column of Turkish vehicles after they cross the border.
Libya and Iran are beginning to support Assad. Armed members of Hezbollah (which can be translated as “Party of Allah”) are arriving in Syria. With them Syrian army liberates Al-Quseir. In winter, the Assad regime launches a large-scale offensive that brings significant progress. Against this background, constant terrorist attacks occur in government-controlled cities.
Opposition troops increasingly fit their stereotype in the West. Islamists are joining armed groups. Al-Qaeda is sending a significant contingent to Syria. Cells of this terrorist organization organize training camps.
Relations with Turkey are deteriorating. Several armed clashes occur. The Turkish Parliament allows the use armed forces against Syria, but the war does not start. Some Gulf countries that are allies of the United States provide regular assistance to anti-government forces.
The role of Kurdistan
The conflict in Syria has many various forces. Kurdistan is a serious player and is often called a "third party." Kurds live in eastern Syria, Iraq and Turkey. Their armed militia is called Peshmerga. This organization was created to protect the territory where ethnic Kurds live. They are loyal to the Assad regime and actively oppose ISIS.
Islamization of the conflict
By 2014, the protracted war was gaining new momentum. The “moderate” opposition plays practically no role. It is still actively supported by the EU and the US, but in Syria now only the language of weapons is understood. Basic fighting ongoing The Jabhat al-Nusra organization controls a significant part of Syria. They are often called terrorists, and information appears in the media that the Islamists are receiving assistance from the United States through the “opposition.”
ISIS is one of the most brutal and large organizations, which catalyzed the conflict in Syria. The reasons for the success of this organization are still a matter of debate among analysts. The world learned about ISIS after its militants suddenly captured Big City Mosul. The Islamists created their own state on the territory under their control. Local population lives strictly according to For example, men are prohibited from cutting their hair. Violations of the rules result in various severe punishments.
One of the important components of IS activities is propaganda. The world community was amazed by a number of videos showing militants executing prisoners. Moreover, the murders occur with sophistication and are filmed by professionals. ISIS is considered international terrorist organization. A number of NATO countries and Russia are launching attacks on the territories of the Islamic state.
In Syria last Friday, February 9, several hundred military personnel were killed in one day, but data on the exact number of deaths varies. Viktor Shevchuk writes about this for the Russkiy Mir publication.
So, according to some, more than 600 Russian military personnel (military contract soldiers allegedly from PMCs) were killed, according to others - more than 200. To date, we have managed to collect, bit by bit, enough voluminous information about the events and the consequences of direct fire contact between the Russian military and American army. According to the latest data, the coalition forces suffered no losses as a result of the conflict.
1. What was the point of the attack on the Kurdish positions in the Euphrates region?
Most likely, the main target of the attack by mixed Russian-Assad units was the oil-bearing region in South-West Syria, in which Russia has long been interested. The fact is that despite the fact that Assad and the Kremlin, together with Iran, control approximately 40-50% of the territory of Syria, they have no economic opportunity to compensate for the costs of the war, and most importantly, there are no resources to restore the completely destroyed territory that they control. Thus, the Kremlin came up with the idea of occupying oil-bearing areas 80 kilometers from Deir ez-Zor, where it is possible in the future that Rosneft and Gazprom will be able to expand their activities. However, just a few days before the Russian military moved into this area, the territory was taken under control by the Syrian opposition, which is part of an anti-terrorist coalition with the US military. There were also American military advisers in the ranks of the forces of the democratic Syrian opposition, including on the front lines.
Nevertheless, the Kremlin decided to “test the area” and seize the territory in case of weak opposition. The operation was prepared at first demonstratively, and after the bridge across the Euphrates, built by the Russian military, was also demonstratively destroyed, the accumulation of large forces for the offensive began.
2. How the operation of Russian troops in Syria developed.
General Hassan, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the region, points to a spot on a map east of the city of Deir ez-Zor, 80 kilometers southeast of here, where he says there are pro-regime tanks and artillery President Bashar al-Assad began advancing Wednesday evening toward the headquarters occupied by his forces and U.S. advisers special operations(Hassan, like some other senior Kurdish commanders, does not give his full name).
According to Hassan, he received intelligence information about the preparation of an offensive by pro-regime forces. At 9:30 pm on Wednesday, about half an hour before the offensive began, he called a Russian liaison officer in Deir ez-Zor, with whom he is in contact, in the hope that he could stop the operation.
“We said that there was a certain movement going on and that we would not want to attack the participants in these actions. They (the Russians) did not accept our proposal, they denied everything and said that nothing was happening,” Hassan said through an interpreter.
He spoke with several reporters who arrived here on Thursday with Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, who oversees U.S. special operations forces in Syria and Iraq.
American officers made a similar attempt aimed at preventing clashes. As highlighted in Thursday's Pentagon statement, "coalition officials were in constant contact with their Russian counterparts before, during and after" the offensive. “The Russian military has assured coalition officials that they will not attack nearby coalition forces,” the statement said.
Hassan said the attack began around 10 p.m., with pro-regime forces advancing under cover of tank and artillery fire that exploded about 450 meters from the SDF and U.S. positions.
In total, one battalion-tactical group was allegedly initially involved in the attack, which included more than 10 tanks and about three dozen units of other armored vehicles. After the American military retreated from the forward positions, the Russians decided to develop the offensive and bring into action a second, reserve battalion-tactical group, the exact number of which is unknown.
American Air Force responded to this threat with destructive strikes, initially with high-precision artillery and, perhaps, judging by eyewitnesses, using HIMARS (English High Mobility Artillery Rocket System - pron. Haymars) - an American highly mobile missile and artillery system for operational-tactical purposes. These are missiles that can fly up to 200 km in five minutes and destroy up to 50 targets in one salvo with precision-guided ammunition. Most likely, it was with the help of this system that Russian artillery covering batteries were destroyed, and the drones were used only for target designation of fire. After the destruction of the enemy artillery, as well as the operational formations of the Russians and Assadites, a blow was struck to the rear units, which were actually destroyed on the march by the second BTG.
At the same time, the electronic warfare system operated, completely suppressing communications in operational formations, which explains that it was possible to obtain a transcript of the conversations of the rear groups. The air was probably controlled by two pairs (as usual) of F22 Raptors, monitoring the possible appearance of Russian aviation in a given area.
According to Hasan, in the midst of this bloodbath, he received another call from Russian officer communications and asked him to stop fighting for a while in order to pick up the dead and wounded - during that offensive, which he denied. The Kurdish commander saw this as treachery.
“We don’t trust the Russians anymore,” Hassan said.
And when one reporter noted the irony of the situation - a Russian officer first denies carrying out an attack and then asks for a ceasefire - Hassan said: “It’s funny that a superpower doesn’t know what its forces are doing on the ground.”
Approximately two hours after the counterattacks, 80% of all Russian and Assadite forces were destroyed. Now the “flea hunt” began - using the “anti-guerrilla” AC130 and two pairs of attack helicopters, the Americans, under the cover of the F22, finally cleared the enemy’s offensive area.
You can roughly see how this happens in the video below:
The total losses of the Russian Federation and Assad amounted to up to 90% of all equipment and 70-80% of manpower. The American military emerged from the battle, in all likelihood, without losses. The entire operation lasted about six hours.
3. Why do the data on Russian casualties differ?
The main reason is the complete secrecy of information from the beginning of the operation by the Russian Army until its completion. In addition, there were two battalion tactical groups. Probably in the first one (on the line of contact) 217 Russians (mercenaries from PMCs) died. The second group was defeated on the march (at least three companies of Russians). Hence the difference in assessment - from 217 to 640 Russian military personnel. It must be said that in reality, the coalition forces completely destroyed not only the forward group, but also the artillery support group, as well as the rear group, including the operational headquarters that commanded the offensive.
4. What is the Wagner PMC and why do they write that they were the only ones who died?
PMC "Wagner" is a camouflage name for the most combat-ready Russian units in Syria, the so-called “ichtamnets”. These are detachments of assault special forces, which previously actively fought in Ukraine, and now in Syria. Before the offensive, Russian military personnel from these units hand over their passports, military identification cards, and change into the uniform of Assad’s troops. In reality, they are all professional Russian military contractors. The coalition is well aware of this and monitors their movements constantly.
5. What are the consequences of this operation for the Kremlin and the coalition?
It must be said that the complete destruction of the Russian military group by American forces in Syria in the first hours caused a shock both at the headquarters of the Russian troops in Syria and in the Kremlin subsequently. It was unexpected not only that the Americans responded to the Kremlin’s challenge in the oil-bearing region of Syria, but also the power with which they responded. It is estimated that Russian units destroyed in southern Syria accounted for about 20% of all Russian assault forces. They were destroyed in a few hours. Within a few hours, the American side announced from official sources that it had destroyed Assad’s forces during their attack on coalition positions. They also stated that they knew nothing about any “Russian ichtamnets” in this area. A day later, about 150 wounded Russians were flown to Russia on two planes. Some of the wounded were left on the territory of Russian air bases in Syria.
The Kremlin refrained from a clear response, expressing only “deep concern” about the current situation in southern Syria. Most likely, in the near future, Russia will refrain from conducting any operations in the direction of coalition troops, having learned a cruel lesson. According to experts, in the event of a conflict with the coalition, Russia could lose all its bases in Syria within three days.
A day after the events in the Deir ez-Zor area, an active operation of the Israeli army began in the Damascus area. Having discovered an Iranian-made drone in its airspace, the Israeli army shot it down and then launched a massive strike on military installations of Hezbollah and Assad’s forces. Then, after the loss of one of its aircraft (presumably shot down by the S-300 air defense system), Israel destroyed eight air defense batteries simultaneously in the Damascus area with a massive strike.
Conclusions.
It is likely that in the near future military operations in Syria will intensify mainly in the central regions. The situation around the Russian military group will deteriorate significantly in the coming months, which could lead, if clear agreements are not reached, to its evacuation in the middle or end of the year, as well as the annihilation of the Assad regime subsequently.
The US Army has proven its overwhelming superiority in this theater of operations. Starting from technical superiority and ending with methods of combat and command and control. The Russian troops prepared and carried out a completely mediocre and senseless operation, which was identified at the planning stage. Besides, Russian army unable to carry on at night offensive operations– the troops of the Assadites and Russians were shot virtually as if in a shooting range, and with the latter completely losing orientation.
Here is a transcript of the radio exchange on this matter. Russian media They are silent on this matter, since the President of the Russian Federation has already officially announced that a final victory has been won in Syria and therefore there should be no deaths.
The information was taken from the WarGonzo Telegram channel, which is run by military correspondent Semyon Pegov...
Voice 1: “...In short, this is the fuck@th time we’ve been fucked, that’s in short. In one company there were 200 people, 200 people right away, in another there were 10 people, and I don’t know about the third, but there they were also disheveled very badly, in short, three companies suffered, so they beat the Pindos, at first they covered the fuck with artillery and then they raised 4 turntables and launched them into the carousel, in short, from large-caliber machine guns, in short, in short, ours had nothing at all except machine guns, well, not to mention some kind of man-portable air defense system, and so on , in short, they finally disheveled it there, well, they created hell there and the Pindos specifically and clearly knew fuck@y that it was we who were coming, our Russians were coming to squeeze out the factory, and they were sitting at this plant, in short, in short, we finally got some hard fucks right now The boys called me back, fuck they’re sitting there drinking, in short, there’s a lot of really fucking missing people, well, that’s in short, it’s fucked up, there’s another fucking humiliation and well, in short, with us, fuck @ nuniktovo generally, fuck @ I don’t even think about how they treated the devils, I think that our people will now f*ck our government and no one will do anything in response and no one will destroy anyone. For this, fuck these losses we have!”
Voice 2: “Brother, look. There are 177 killed there - only the 5th company. 2 was practically not caught. In short, the entire 5th was destroyed, they were crushed there by aviation, helicopters, artillery, and the Kurds and the Americans trampled on them, the boys simply had no chance, almost all of the 5th fell. Here are the remains of the heavy ones, now “Tulip” will come at night today, we will meet them then. Come on, get in touch. Viktorovich, too, in my opinion, if found, is also negative.”
Voice 3: “In short, the guy just called back, they lined up in a column, they didn’t get to these three hundred meters, fucking seven hundred, he says, to the positions, one platoon went forward, and these, the column, stood. They didn't get as far as three hundred meters. These American flags were raised and the art started to kick hard at them, and then the turntables flew up and started fucking everyone, so they were running... Now the guy called back - a total of 215 “two hundredths”, it seems like that, in short they just rolled out hard... They designated ourselves... What did our people even hope for? Like they'll fuck themselves? Will they be scared? Who knows... In short, it's such bullshit... They can't identify someone at all, people don't give a damn there. They just fucked a standing column with artillery, the infantry didn’t even move forward, they just fucked with artillery, and that’s it, it’s fucked up.”
Earlier it was reported that two KamAZ trucks from Syria were the corpses of Russian mercenaries.
