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Syrian fighters join Russia's war in Ukraine, US officials say
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US officials, Russia is recruiting Syrian fighters experienced in urban combat as it ramps up its assault on Ukraine.
Four US officials told the US daily newspaper that Moscow, which launched an invasion against its eastern European neighbor on February 24, has in recent days recruited fighters from Syria to help take control of Kyiv.
One official told the newspaper, some fighters are already in Russia and ready to join the fight against Ukraine, though it was not immediately clear how many fighters had been recruited. The sources did not provide any further details.
Foreign fighters have already joined the Ukrainian conflict on both sides.
Chechnya's powerful leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, shared videos of Chechen fighters joining the war on Ukraine and said some of them had been killed in the fighting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed that about 20,000 foreign volunteers arrived in the country to join Kyiv's forces.
UAE sends 30 tonnes of emergency medical aid for displaced Ukrainians and refugees
As Russian invasion enters its 12th day, more than 1.5 million civilians have fled the country in what the United Nations has called the fastest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
levantnews-wsj
