The U.S.-led coalition in Syria has killed an estimated 100 pro-Assad fighters in air and artillery raids this week, including military contractors from Russia, reports say.
Russia officially withdrew its forces from Syria in December 2017 after two years fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad, though hundreds of private military contractors from Russia remain in the country.
According to Igor Girkin, an ex-commander of Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, two tactical units of the Wagner private military group had been hit by the U.S. strikes on Feb. 7.
"One [unit] is practically totally destroyed, and the second is smashed ’to smithereens,’‘ he wrote in a post on the Vkontakte social network on Thursday, citing an unnamed source.
No uniformed Russian soldiers were killed in the U.S.-coalition strike on Deir Ezzor, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement cited by Interfax on Thursday.
The ministry said that the attack ’demonstrates that the true goal of the continued illegal presence of U.S. forces on Syrian territory was the capture and control of economic assets that belong exclusively to the Syrian Arab Republic, not a fight against the ISIS international terrorist group,‘ Interfax reported.
The U.S.-led coalition released a statement saying that the airstrikes on Feb. 7 were carried out in ‘self-defense’ after ’an unprovoked attack" by Syrian pro-regime forces.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
