‘The same enemy’: Syrians endured Russian bombing for years. Now they urge Ukrainians to fight but expect the worst
2 years, 8 months ago

‘The same enemy’: Syrians endured Russian bombing for years. Now they urge Ukrainians to fight but expect the worst

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. And now they are trying to do to Ukraine what they did to Aleppo Ayman Nabu Syria’s saga began as a popular mass uprising against president Bashar Assad’s dictatorial regime, later devolved into a vicious civil war that eventually drew in Russian air power and ground forces to support the Damascus government. open image in gallery Sara Kassem, a journalist for the online news outlet Sy Plus “It’s total war, and it’s very scary,” says Jassem Mohamed, 58, who took his family from the Syrian city of Maarat al-Numan to a makeshift tent along a railbed to escape Putin’s airstrikes and Assad’s barrel bombs. “When they can’t beat us, they bomb civilians,” says Abu Taim al Mourad, who like all Syrian fighters uses his nom de guerre when speaking publicly. And now they are trying to do to Ukraine what they did to Aleppo.” open image in gallery Syrian students wave Syrian, Russian and Palestinian flags in a pro-Russian demo Syrians’ hearts sink as they realise that the same fate that befell them at the hands of Putin and his allies could afflict another nation.

Russia Fight Image Putin Russian Kremlin Syrian Russians Ukraine War Syrians Idlib Urge Ukrainians Yusuf Sayman Sara Kassem  syrians  urge  ukrainians  bombing  ukrainian  image  russia  russian  syrian  expect  fight  worst  endured  russians  enemy  idlib  ukraine  war

History of this topic

How can Putin be defeated? Assad’s fall provides lesson for West
1 week, 5 days ago

How can Putin be defeated? Assad’s fall provides lesson for West

The Independent  

The fall of the Assad regime in Syria has led to questions over Russia’s ability to sustain its military adventures abroad. Whether – and how – Russia’s forces in place in the country will need to evacuate is just one of the open questions arising from the change of power in Syria. Another is what the potential impact may be …

How global powerplay and terrorism have rekindled Syrian conflict
Trending News
2 weeks, 4 days ago

How global powerplay and terrorism have rekindled Syrian conflict

Firstpost  

West Asia is never quiet. As if the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon are not enough, let alone the simmering ones in Libya, Yemen, and Sudan, the past week’s conflagration in Syria has yet again proved that the causes of conflict must also be definitively addressed, especially when a highly complex situation is allowed to take deeper, divisive roots …

In battle near and far: Why is Russia fighting in Syria?
2 weeks, 5 days ago

In battle near and far: Why is Russia fighting in Syria?

India Today  

After rebel forces in Syria took control of the major city of Aleppo on November 30th, Russia, along with the Syrian forces, has conducted a series of airstrikes on Aleppo and the city of Idlib. Since Russia wants to prevent regime change, it has been a key ally of the Syrian government in the ongoing Civil War, providing military support …

What’s happening in Syria? Explained
2 weeks, 6 days ago

What’s happening in Syria? Explained

The Hindu  

The story so far: Islamist militants in Syria’s northwest launched a surprise attack last week against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad and made dramatic territorial gains. The Syrian civil war, which broke out in 2011 amidst Arab Spring-inspired anti-government protests, had entered into a frozen stage in late 2016 after the regime recaptured most of its lost territories. When …

Syrian civil war: Assad-backer Russia says ‘in close contact’ with ally Iran and also pro-rebel Turkey
Trending News
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Syrian civil war: Assad-backer Russia says ‘in close contact’ with ally Iran and also pro-rebel Turkey

Firstpost  

Russia, Iran and Turkey are in “close contact” over the conflict in Syria, Moscow said Wednesday, after a shock offensive has seen Islamist-led rebels capture the second-largest city of Aleppo Anti-government fighters pose for a selfie on a Syrian regime military aircraft at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on Tuesday. AFP Russia, Iran and …

The Take: What is happening in Syria?
3 weeks ago

The Take: What is happening in Syria?

Al Jazeera  

After a shock opposition offensive, Syrian Army forces have responded with Russian help. Over the past week, Syrian opposition fighters have seized control of Aleppo and advanced further south towards Hama. In response, the Syrian Army, with support from Russia and reportedly, Iraqi militias, has intensified bombing campaigns on opposition-held areas. In this episode: Qutaiba Idlbi, director of the Syria …

The Syrian insurgency will be felt across the Middle East and beyond
3 weeks, 2 days ago

The Syrian insurgency will be felt across the Middle East and beyond

The Independent  

It was, it turned out, too good to be true. Hopes that the ceasefire concluded between Israel and the Hezbollah militia could encourage further peace moves across the region have come to nought – but not in the way that might have been imagined. How far the rebel advance could cause wider instability – with the reigniting of Syria’s bitter …

How a Syrian rebel group pulled off its stunning seizure of Aleppo
3 weeks, 3 days ago

How a Syrian rebel group pulled off its stunning seizure of Aleppo

NPR  

How a Syrian rebel group pulled off its stunning seizure of Aleppo toggle caption Omar Albam/AP Rebel militias in northern Syria have continued to make lightning-fast territorial gains against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, as videos posted to social media show fighting raging in several of the beleaguered nation's major cities, including the capital Damascus. A well-armed rebel group, …

Russia persists in blaming Ukraine for concert attack despite its denial and Islamic State’s claim
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Russia persists in blaming Ukraine for concert attack despite its denial and Islamic State’s claim

Associated Press  

MOSCOW — Russian officials persisted Tuesday in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week’s deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv and a claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. Without offering any evidence, Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, followed similar allegations …

Russia, al-Assad step up Syria bombing amid world focus on Israel-Gaza war
1 year, 1 month ago

Russia, al-Assad step up Syria bombing amid world focus on Israel-Gaza war

Al Jazeera  

Idlib, Syria — Syrian government forces and Russia have stepped up the bombardment of northwest Syria, killing dozens of people, including children, and wounding hundreds of others, opposition leaders and emergency volunteers have said, at a time when Israel’s war on Gaza is holding the world’s attention. “The military escalation by al-Assad regime, the Russians, and the Iranians against civilians …

9 killed, several injured in Russian airstrike attack on Syria's Idlib
1 year, 5 months ago

9 killed, several injured in Russian airstrike attack on Syria's Idlib

India Today  

Russian jets bombed villages and towns near the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Sunday, killing at least nine civilians and wounding several in a major flare-up of violence in the country's last opposition stronghold, witnesses and rescuers said. War planes flying at high altitude, which tracking centres said were Russian Sukhoi jets, dropped bombs on a vegetable market in …

Russians in "Ukraine will be fighting a war on two fronts": Rebellion means Putin is now weaker
1 year, 5 months ago

Russians in "Ukraine will be fighting a war on two fronts": Rebellion means Putin is now weaker

Salon  

The Ukrainian military has finally amassed enough forces, supplies, and other resources – including a much-needed infusion of new weapons and munitions from the United States and NATO — to launch its counteroffensive against the Russian invaders. On four fronts, the Ukrainians and Russians are engaging in fierce battles that in many places resemble the hellish trench warfare of more …

Putin targets Ukrainian civilians because he could in Syria
1 year, 7 months ago

Putin targets Ukrainian civilians because he could in Syria

Al Jazeera  

The Syrianisation of the Ukraine war is no coincidence. “The people of Syria received no adequate international protection, and this gave the Kremlin and its accomplices a sense of impunity,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in March. This new phase started with the appointment of General Sergei Surovikin, known for his brutal bombing campaigns in Syria, as the overall commander …

Moscow hosts landmark Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks
1 year, 7 months ago

Moscow hosts landmark Turkey-Syria rapprochement talks

The Hindu  

Russia’s foreign minister on Wednesday hosted his counterparts from Turkey, Syria and Iran for talks that marked the highest-level contact between Ankara and Damascus since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago. Russia has spent years trying to help Syrian President Bashar Assad rebuild ties with Turkey and other countries that were fractured in the war, …

‘Russia’s war goals haven’t changed: destroying Ukraine’
1 year, 10 months ago

‘Russia’s war goals haven’t changed: destroying Ukraine’

Al Jazeera  

Seven experts predict possible scenarios as neither Moscow nor Kyiv appears ready to negotiate a peaceful end to the war. And then the truce will be made under previous conditions – or under stricter ones on the part of Russia.” ‘Victory should be about weakening Russia as an aggressive imperialist state’ Lt Gen Ihor Romanenko, the former deputy chief of …

Getting to peace in Ukraine needs wisdom
1 year, 11 months ago

Getting to peace in Ukraine needs wisdom

Hindustan Times  

The offer of a temporary ceasefire by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, announced on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas, failed to bring any respite from the war in Ukraine but may have given a glimpse into how the protracted conflict might wind down. Contrary to Putin’s calculation that the West will get tired of backing Ukraine and prod Kyiv …

General who led Syrian bombing is new face of Russian war
2 years, 2 months ago

General who led Syrian bombing is new face of Russian war

Associated Press  

The general carrying out President Vladimir Putin’s new military strategy in Ukraine has a reputation for brutality — for bombing civilians in Russia’s campaign in Syria. “We have enough technical means to force Ukraine to surrender.” While the veracity of the statement couldn’t be confirmed, it appears to reflect the same heavy-handed approach that Surovikin took in Syria where he …

General who led Syrian bombing is new face of Russian war
2 years, 2 months ago

General who led Syrian bombing is new face of Russian war

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We have enough technical means to force Ukraine to …

Op-Ed: How Russian battlefield defeats in Ukraine could lead to terrorism in the West
2 years, 2 months ago

Op-Ed: How Russian battlefield defeats in Ukraine could lead to terrorism in the West

LA Times  

As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to suffer humiliating battlefield defeats, his growing desperation may lead him to conclude that Russian-backed terrorist attacks against Western countries are a legitimate response. Because NATO countries have been supplying Ukraine’s military with weaponry and training its soldiers, the Kremlin has engaged in nuclear saber-rattling against them, raising concerns that Russia could use a …

'It's just hell there': Russia still pounds eastern Ukraine
2 years, 6 months ago

'It's just hell there': Russia still pounds eastern Ukraine

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Russia’s military machine persevered in …

Russia takes steps to bolster army, tighten grip on Ukraine
2 years, 6 months ago

Russia takes steps to bolster army, tighten grip on Ukraine

Associated Press  

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an order Wednesday to fast track Russian citizenship for residents of parts of southern Ukraine largely held by his forces, while lawmakers in Moscow passed a bill to strengthen the stretched Russian army. The chair of the Russian parliament’s defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said the measure would make it easier to hire …

Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war
2 years, 8 months ago

Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — During a visit to Syria in 2017, Vladimir Putin lavished praise on a Syrian general whose division played an instrumental role in defeating insurgents in the country’s long-running civil war. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan’s division are among hundreds of Russian-trained Syrian fighters who have reportedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, including Syrian soldiers, former rebels …

Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war
2 years, 8 months ago

Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war

LA Times  

Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, on Jan. 7, 2020. Gen. Suheil Hassan’s division are among hundreds of Russian-trained Syrian fighters who have reportedly signed up to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, including Syrian soldiers, former rebels and experienced fighters who fought for years against the …

Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin honours troops accused of abuses
2 years, 8 months ago

Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin honours troops accused of abuses

Al Jazeera  

Ukraine news from April 18: Putin praises ‘mass heroism’ of brigade accused of carrying out mass killings in Bucha. 18 Apr 2022 - 19:14 GMT Four dead in shelling in Ukraine’s Donetsk region: Governor Russian shelling in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region has killed four people, regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said on his Telegram channel. 18 Apr 2022 - 16:52 GMT …

Putin's propaganda playbook shows how an army of fake fact-checkers is sowing doubt and confusion in Ukraine
2 years, 8 months ago

Putin's propaganda playbook shows how an army of fake fact-checkers is sowing doubt and confusion in Ukraine

ABC  

A week before the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv came under intense shelling for the first time since World War II, an alarming video announcement was circulating on encrypted messaging app, Telegram. "There's an evolution in media manipulation tactics we haven't seen at this scale before," Dr Donovan said. The Russian Security Council's deputy chairman, Dmitry Medvedev, said "enraged beasts from …

Putin vows to press Ukraine invasion until Russia’s goals are met; says 'campaign going as planned'
2 years, 8 months ago

Putin vows to press Ukraine invasion until Russia’s goals are met; says 'campaign going as planned'

India TV News  

Highlights Putin insisted Tuesday that his invasion aimed to protect people in parts of eastern Ukraine He said Russia “had no other choice” but to launch what he calls a 'special military operation' For now, Putin’s forces are gearing up for a major offensive in the Donbas Russia’s bloody offensive in Ukraine would continue until its goals are fulfilled, Vladimir …

In Syria, Russia leads effort to recruit fighters for Ukraine
2 years, 8 months ago

In Syria, Russia leads effort to recruit fighters for Ukraine

Al Jazeera  

Analysts say Moscow has been recruiting Syrian fighters through its mercenary network and local groups. The US Pentagon said it has seen indicators that the Wagner Group has been recruiting fighters from Syria, Libya, and other countries with a goal to deploy “a thousand or so” in the eastern province. Recruitment centres A fighter in Homs with the recently disbanded …

Russia's military is under pressure in Ukraine and refocusing on the east is likely to be a bloody campaign
2 years, 8 months ago

Russia's military is under pressure in Ukraine and refocusing on the east is likely to be a bloody campaign

ABC  

This week saw the first briefing from the Russian military on their "special military operation" in Ukraine. Speaking in front of a massive screen showing maps and videos from Russia's Ukraine operations, Colonel General Sergei Rudskoi's short update provided several interesting pieces of information. Russia's Plan A, B and now C Ukraine has taken combat casualties, and it has had …

Ukraine war: Why is Russia encouraging foreign fighters to join?
2 years, 9 months ago

Ukraine war: Why is Russia encouraging foreign fighters to join?

Al Jazeera  

Analysts say the Kremlin may have been inspired by Ukraine’s similar step and warn of ominous consequences. On March 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin threw his support behind a plan to recruit what he characterised as eager foreign volunteer fighters to join his forces in Ukraine and “help the people who live in the Donbas”. In addition to employing the …

Has Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine lost momentum? | In Focus podcast
2 years, 9 months ago

Has Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine lost momentum? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

We are now into the fourth week of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and there is still not much clarity or consensus on whether and to what extent, Russia has been able to execute its military objectives in this time period. While there is no doubt that Ukraine has decisively won the propaganda war, with the world’s sympathy overwhelmingly in its …

Putin has failed to learn lessons from the 1990s, and opposition against the war in Ukraine at home will grow
2 years, 9 months ago

Putin has failed to learn lessons from the 1990s, and opposition against the war in Ukraine at home will grow

ABC  

Russians, so the cliché goes, are a stoic lot. Parallels to another war By the end of that year Yeltsin, in response to Chechen demands for independence, had instigated the first Chechen war — a bloody, ill-disciplined campaign that cost tens of thousands of lives and marked the beginning of the end of Russia's brief flirtation with liberal democracy. The …

For Syrian survivors, Russia’s tactics in Ukraine eerily similar
2 years, 9 months ago

For Syrian survivors, Russia’s tactics in Ukraine eerily similar

Al Jazeera  

After years of propping up President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, experts say Russian forces are using the same military playbook in Ukraine. The same tactics and scenes,” al-Fares said, claiming that attacks on hospitals increased when Russia began launching air raids in 2015 in support of Syrian government forces. “Everything that provides life and sustainability for civilians is a target …

EXPLAINER: Will Russia bring Syrian fighters to Ukraine?
2 years, 9 months ago

EXPLAINER: Will Russia bring Syrian fighters to Ukraine?

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — With Russia’s war on Ukraine now in its third week, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday approved bringing in volunteer fighters from the Middle East, particularly Syria. Russia’s military is deeply entrenched in the Mideast country, where its intervention — starting in 2015 — helped Syrian President Bashar Assad gain the upper hand in the ongoing, 11-year civil …

Russia Ukraine War: Putin approves 'volunteer fighters' to Ukraine
2 years, 9 months ago

Russia Ukraine War: Putin approves 'volunteer fighters' to Ukraine

India TV News  

Highlights Vladimir Putin ordered volunteer fighters should be brought into Ukraine. Putin told Shoigu that Russia should help would-be volunteers to “move to the combat zone” Since 2015, Russian forces have backed Syrian President al-Assad against various opposition groups Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that so-called volunteer fighters should be brought into Ukraine. Since 2015, Russian forces have backed …

Russia recruiting Syrians for urban combat in Ukraine, US officials say
2 years, 9 months ago

Russia recruiting Syrians for urban combat in Ukraine, US officials say

Live Mint  

WASHINGTON : Moscow is recruiting Syrians skilled in urban combat to fight in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion is poised to expand deeper into cities, according to U.S. officials. An American assessment indicates that Russia, which has been operating inside Syria since 2015, has in recent days been recruiting fighters from there, hoping their expertise in urban combat can help take …

Syrians recount horror under Russian air attacks
2 years, 9 months ago

Syrians recount horror under Russian air attacks

Al Jazeera  

Al Jazeera talks to Syrians who endured Russian air strikes as Moscow tries to advance its invasion of Ukraine. “He is going to go full Aleppo on Ukraine now, isn’t he?” al-Khatib, having lived through the days when the Syrian city was under intense attack, asked in shock. Now, in Ukraine, reports have shown Russian forces also bombing civilian areas …

Russia’s Syria intervention provided hints for Ukraine war
2 years, 9 months ago

Russia’s Syria intervention provided hints for Ukraine war

Associated Press  

BEIRUT — From a tent in the rebel-held pocket of Syria, Ahmad Rakan has closely followed news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “There is no doubt that the Russian intervention in Ukraine is an accumulation of a series of Russian military interventions in Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014 and Syria in 2015,” said Ibrahim Hamidi, a Syrian journalist and …

In Ukraine, Putin is bound to lose
2 years, 9 months ago

In Ukraine, Putin is bound to lose

Al Jazeera  

If it was not plain before, Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and Ukrainians has revealed these self-evident truths. All of the above who stampede to Twitter every other moment to share their trite, hyperbolic musings and “insight” about Putin, war and Ukraine may think they matter, but they do not. Angry people who have come together in the streets across …

The problem with Putin’s endgame in Ukraine
2 years, 9 months ago

The problem with Putin’s endgame in Ukraine

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Alexander B. Downes is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. CNN — With the feared Russian invasion of Ukraine underway, the burning question is what Russian President Vladimir Putin would do with the country if his forces can overcome fierce Ukrainian resistance and conquer it. Although Putin’s recent rhetoric suggests he believes …

‘Correction of history’: Syria president praises Ukraine invasion
2 years, 9 months ago

‘Correction of history’: Syria president praises Ukraine invasion

Al Jazeera  

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad tells his Russian ally Putin the assault on Ukraine is justified and aimed at ‘restoring’ post-Cold-War balance. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a phone with President Vladimir Putin praised Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine, denouncing what he called Western “hysteria” surrounding it. Al-Assad added: “Syria stands with the Russian Federation based on its conviction that its …

Syrians in Idlib stand by Ukraine after Russia attack
2 years, 10 months ago

Syrians in Idlib stand by Ukraine after Russia attack

Al Jazeera  

Many Syrians empathise with Ukrainians given their experience of surviving Russian shelling and air raids during war in their country. Binnish, Syria – As the crisis escalates in Ukraine following Russian attacks on the country, many people in Syria – still living through war in their own country – are voicing solidarity with Ukrainians. In the city of Binnish in …

Russia-Ukraine: What to know as Putin takes military action
2 years, 10 months ago

Russia-Ukraine: What to know as Putin takes military action

LA Times  

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a military operation in Ukraine, and he is warning other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.” U.S. President Biden says the world will “hold Russia accountable.” The Ukrainian president earlier rejected Moscow’s claims that his country poses a threat to Russia and …

Syria backs Russian recognition of east Ukraine breakaway regions
2 years, 10 months ago

Syria backs Russian recognition of east Ukraine breakaway regions

Al Jazeera  

Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad says Syrian government ‘will cooperate’ with the two Moscow-backed separatist-held regions. Syria’s government says it “supports” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognise two Moscow-backed separatist-held regions in eastern Ukraine as independent. In comments carried by the state-run Syrian News Agency, Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad was quoted as saying that the government of President Bashar al-Assad …

Among ordinary Russians, little appetite for war in Ukraine
3 years ago

Among ordinary Russians, little appetite for war in Ukraine

LA Times  

Ukrainian soldiers walk past destroyed buildings in Marinka, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Ethnic Russians living there, he wrote in an essay, “are being forced not only to deny their roots, generations of their ancestors, but also to believe that Russia is their enemy.” Despite a constant stream of bellicose rhetoric from Russian state-controlled media about the supposed threat posed by a …

Discover Related