Today is another play like this during a meeting of the National Security Council. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East have volunteered to fight with Russian-backed militias in eastern Ukraine.

Putin responded with approval: “If there are people who want to come and help voluntarily, without charge (…) then we should do everything we can to help them get to the combat zones.”

Syrian fighters are cannon fodder

But reporter Olaf Koenz knows this is not voluntary and unpaid. “Russia is recruiting mercenaries in Syria,” Kons said from the Ukrainian city of Lviv. “They have to do the dirty work in Ukraine for Putin for big money. Syrian fighters are cannon fodder, they are employed for the most dangerous work, so that the number of dead Russian soldiers is limited,” he added.

Because within two weeks of the war thousands of Russian soldiers may have already died, there are no exact numbers. And this news is also leaking to Russia, despite the censorship and propaganda in that country. “It cannot be hidden that the little boys are dead,” notes Cowens, who was also a reporter in Russia for many years.

Troubles among soldier mothers

Thousands of Russian parents fear for the fate of their children who have been sent to the front. While they thought that their sons went to practice only in eastern Russia or Belarus. They were never really ready for war.

So the Syrian mercenaries must ensure that fewer Russian soldiers are killed. But there is another advantage for Putin: the Syrians are experienced soldiers. Olaf Koenez, Middle East correspondent, knows all about this: “Because of the years of war in the service of Syrian President Assad, they are not afraid to throw themselves into battle. They have a lot of combat experience in cities like Aleppo. Experience they can take to Ukrainian cities, like Kyiv. Where it is unreasonable for the battle to turn into a street fight with the residents.”

In addition, Syrian mercenaries are accustomed to fighting with Russian weapons. After all, the Assad regime survived with the help of President Putin. Their struggle was hard. This is what the Syrian mercenaries take with them to Ukraine.