Americans responded with airstrikes in a four-hour battle, killing an estimated 200 combatants. [123] The ground offensive was launched on 6 May, after a week-long aerial campaign against rebel territory,[124] with pro-government troops managing to capture two major towns within three days. [31] However, as of the beginning of July, the PMCs were still fighting to secure the al-Shaer gas fields and the areas of the phosphate mines. [15][16][17] The Russian Ministry of Defence's statement, released on 8 February 2018, referred to the incident at the village of Salihiyah (located south of the SDF-held town of Abu Hamam in the Abu Kamal District) and said that it was caused by reconnaissance actions of Syrian militias that had not been cleared with the Russian operations command; the statement stressed that there were no Russian service members in the "designated district of the Deir ez-Zor province of Syria". [104] Der Spiegel and the SOHR reported mostly Syrians were killed in the strikes. Almost half a dozen incidents took place towards the end of the month. [78][79], State Duma Defense Committee Chairman Vladimir Shamanov, citing reported casualties of Russian PMCs, said the Russian parliament was working on a bill that would regulate activities of private military contractors, which he said was necessary. [31] A publication by the Ukraine-based anti-Kremlin InformNapalm alleged the operation had been cleared with the Russian military command by Sergey Kim, the chief of Wagner's operations department and a former Russian Naval Infantry officer. [126], In early September, the PMC's were preparing for an offensive to assault the rebel-held city of Idlib. Under no circumstances should this be allowed. Russian Embassy School in Washington, D.C. 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[50][51] Several PMCs were killed during the fighting for the town and their bodies were seized by the militants. [56], Subsequently, the Syrian ISIS Hunters unit pledged to pay one million dollars for the release of each of the captive Russians. Gabidullin, whose hearing has suffered after years of fighting, also said he participated in the 2018 Battle of Khasham, where hundreds of Russian mercenaries were reportedly killed after US airstrikes against pro-regime forces, in what is believed to be the deadliest clash between Russia and the US since the cold war. [63], Bloomberg, as well as other commentators, opined that both the Russian government and Trump administration, in their official statements, appeared to try obfuscating any Russian government role in the incident. The groups growing influence has also divided Mali and its European partners after the west African nation deployed Wagner fighters in December. [66][67][68] Meanwhile, Russia's government-run news agency TASS acknowledged, with reference to a Cossack organisation, the death in a battle near Deir ez-Zor of a Russian "volunteer", sotnik Vladimir Loginov, a resident of the Kaliningrad Region. They have grouped into 50-man tank-equipped units supported by Russian air forces. [29] Three other Wagner commanders also stated the claim of 200 dead was an exaggeration and that 15 PMCs were killed at the most. Gripping his recently finished memoir, In the Same River Twice, the first published account of fighting for the secretive Russian mercenary outfit Wagner, Gabidullin said: I wrote this because I realised its time for our country to face the truth: mercenaries exist., At 55, hes an imposing figure, with his face and muscular arms covered in scars. According to Syrian military sources, some 55 pro-government fighters were killed, including around 10 Russian fighters.[13]. Wagner publishes details on US air strikes during Battle of Khasham. The Wagner Group, also known as PMC Wagner,[1] a Russian paramilitary organization[1] also described as a private military company (PMC), a network of mercenaries,[1][2] and a de facto unit of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) or Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU,[3] has conducted operations in Syria since late 2015. Syrian Army 1 links Land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. They arrived at the village of Marrot, which is northwest of both Khasham and the nearby SDF base. Notwithstanding that, between 10 and 20 of the Russians were killed in the U.S. strikes, while most of the formations' deaths were reportedly among the 4th Armoured Division. [26] This intent was, in mid-January 2018, clearly broadcast by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said the Trump administration would maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to counter Iranian influence and ensure the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. ", "More than 200 Russians may have been killed in Coalition strikes in Syria", "Reports of Russian Deaths Underscore Dangers of Syria's War", "The business of war: Russian mercenaries in Syria", "Russian toll in Syria battle was 300 killed and wounded: sources", Russia's use of mercenaries in Syria is causing trouble back home, The oil field carnage that Moscow doesn't want to talk about, 14 - "" , "". A detailed account of the battle was included in 8 years with Wagner, a book by a member of the PMC, Kiril Romanovsky, published several days prior. [91][92][93] A short-term deployment of two Su-57s to Syria was officially confirmed by the Russian defence minister Sergey Shoygu on 1 March 2018. 2 min read. The military claimed that, according to intercepted radio traffic, the groups were partly ISIL and partly Kurds, and retreated towards the Conoco factory. We have specialised skills that a normal army lacks.. , "Several Russians killed in US airstrikes in Syria", " ", --, " " , Russians killed in clash with U.S.-led forces in Syria, say associates, . [20][65], On 12 February 2018, Grigory Yavlinsky called on President Vladimir Putin to present an account of whether any Russian military forces had been involved in the battle. [20][30], A few days before, Prigozhin had been indicted by the grand jury for the District of Columbia on charges related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. We, in Russia, prefer not to discuss our mercenaries, he added. [118], In March, an anonymous senior commander of the Wagner Group was quoted as saying that there were five Wagner companies operating in Syria, as well as The Carpathians (Russian: , romanized:Karpaty) company attached to Wagner, composed mainly of Ukrainian citizens. [8], Furthermore, according to a few Wagner fighters, they were flown to Syria aboard Russian military transport planes. [71], At the end of November, Russia announced plans to withdraw some of its troops from Syria by the end of the year. [112] One of the towns captured by government troops during this time was Mesraba. Scores of Wagner soldiers are believed to have fought and died in Syria since the conflict began in 2011. , - , Putin cancels key appearances due to ill health for first time in years, , "Trump, Putin talk Palestinian peace efforts, North Korea's nukes", , Russia Acknowledges Possible Syria Deaths as Evidence of Mercenary Fatalities Mounts, : , , Russia seeks to regulate private military contractors, Russian MP demands government regulate private military companies, - 334 , Lavrov stresses that US intends to carve up parts of Syria: The Russian top diplomat comments on the situation in Syria, , , , , Russians injured in recent clash in Syria were not servicemen Foreign Ministry, , , Putin's 'chef' accused of trying to cover his tracks, -57 , , : , -57 - , Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets successfully tested in Syria, " ". [22], On several occasions, U.S. forces struck Syrian pro-government units operating in the area. [2] Contrary to what was widely reported at the time, Der Spiegel later reported that according to witnesses, no Russian mercenaries were part of this formation. "[47], In mid-September 2017, the PMCs helped Syrian troops[48][49] to capture the town of Uqayribat from ISIL in the central Hama province. The groups were quickly pushed back. Because it is not just about me, said Gabidullin. military officials tell NBC News the Russian mercenaries were from the Wagner group, a shadowy security firm linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a [60], In late October 2017, a video emerged on YouTube glorifying the PMCs actions in Syria. [35][36] The contractors also accused the man, named as Muhammad Abdullah al-Ismail (or Mohammed Taha Ismail Al-Abdullah a.k.a. More than three years after it took place in February 2018, the Battle of Khasham remains one of the most dramatic and mysterious events of the Syrian civil war. [78] The pocket was cleared on 9 February. The SDF controlled almost all other territory east of the river, excluding the salient and the islands in the river. Fifteen Russian security staff killed in Syria explosion: The incident at a weapons depot follows the reported deaths of scores of Russian mercenaries in a US-led coalition attack last week, "Russians dead in 'battle' in Syria's east", "US attack on pro-gov't forces in Deir Ezzor killed more than 10 Russians (photos)", "More than 200 Russians may have been killed in Coalition strikes in Syria", "Reports of Russian Deaths Underscore Dangers of Syria's War", "The business of war: Russian mercenaries in Syria", "Russian toll in Syria battle was 300 killed and wounded: sources", " "" : 40 7 2018", SBU publishes list of 206 non-TOE employees of the Directorate of General Staff of Russian Army, members of Wagner PMC, plus personal data on eight more killed mercs, SBU releases personal details of 11 Russian Wagner PMC mercenaries who fought in Donbas separatists ranks. [29] The ISIS Hunters were one of the leading units[30] during the capture of the al-Shaer gas fields from ISIL in late April 2017. This was in contrast to CIT's earlier confirmation by name of no more than eight dead. -57, "Pompeo Boasts About U.S. ' '", "Russia says U.S. airstrike killed 5 of its citizens", "About 220 casualties and wounded of the Russian security companies, the regime forces and their allies in Coalition's bombing and the explosion of a warehouse of the Russian protection forces east of Euphrates", "Pro-Syrian regime forces building up near US troops in Syria", " . [72] On 11 December, Putin declared victory against "terrorists" during a visit to Russia's Khmeimim air base in Syria. PUTINS SECRET ARMIES WAGED WAR IN SYRIAWHERE WILL THEY FIGHT NEXT? However, the SDF later retook the villages, with local sources claiming coalition aircraft bombed pro-government positions in response. The Iranian-backed forces that had gathered consisted of members of the Syrian Army's elite 4th Armoured Division, members of the militias of the local Bekara and Albo Hamad Arab tribes, and members of the Iranian-controlled Fatemiyoun and Zainebiyoun brigades. [67][68] However, the two PMCs were still prisoners. [34], In early July 2017, a video emerged that showed Wagner PMCs bludgeoning a man who was initially believed to be a captured ISIL militant in the Palmyra area, with the person being beheaded after. The ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria after intense battles in 2016 in which Wagner is said to have taken part. [94][95] Earlier, Komsomolskaya Pravda military correspondent Viktor Baranets[ru] was cited as saying that according to his information, the Su-57s had done "excellent" work carrying out their mission in Eastern Ghouta. They stand in stark contrast to recent UN reports accusing Wagner operatives of raping civilians in Central African Republic or allegations that Wagner soldiers tortured and killed a prisoner in Syria. [48] Syrian government forces took complete control of the city by 3 November. [32] Still, in mid-September, the al-Shaer gas fields started getting back into production. [13], By July 2017, according to The New York Times, the Kremlin established a policy in Syria where companies that seize oil and gas wells, as well as mines, from ISIL forces would get oil and mining rights for those same sites. [18][19][20][21] They were in the role of frontline advisors, fire and movement coordinators[22] and forward air controllers who provided guidance to close air support. [38] In the video of the killing, a second severed head of an unidentified person could be seen lying on the ground. [99], The Novaya Gazeta reported a Russian death toll of 13, while the ataman of the Baltic separate Cossack District, Maxim Buga, stated no more than 1520 died and that the other estimates were exaggerations. [89], In late February 2018, CNN quoted multiple Russian sources claiming that those seeking to publicise information about the casualties in the 7 February strike were being harassed and silenced, presumably by people loyal to Yevgeny Prigozhin. He pointed out that Russia managed to remove the need for deploying large numbers of ground forces by bringing in the Russian PMCs who, unlike American PMCs who were usually only in support roles, were used as highly capable assault troops and that they were often embedded with Syrian units to increase their fighting ability. Throughout the conversation, Gabidullin looked somewhat agitated, his piercing blue eyes darting around the empty cafe. In 2015, Gabidullin, a Russian airborne forces veteran and former bodyguard, joined Wagner, at the time a relatively unknown mercenary group. The memoir, based on events Gabidullin claims he witnessed, follows three years of Wagners Syrian campaign. It describes some of the mercenaries big battles, including two operations to liberate the ancient city of Palmyra. Scores of Wagner soldiers are believed to have fought and died in Syria since the conflict began in 2011. [2], Later that same day, under the cover of darkness, about twice as many pro-Syrian government fighters successfully crossed a different bridge located northeast of Deir ez-Zor Airport. American Fury: The Truth About the Russian Deaths in Syria: Hundreds of Russian soldiers are alleged to have died in U.S. airstrikes at the beginning of February. In Syria, now, a handful of weeks ago the Russians met their match. [125] Members of the Russian special forces were also present during the offensive. [84] A Kurdish militia commander and an ex-Russian officer also claimed Russian contractors suffered casualties during the fighting. [80][81], A Russian newspaper, citing Russian military and contractor sources, reported pro-government forces were attempting to capture the Conoco (locally called Al Tabiyeh) gas field from the SDF. [2] According to Der Spiegel's report, no Russians were in either formation, though there was a small contingent of Russian PMCs stationed in Tabiyeh who were not participating in the fighting. [2] According to Der Spiegel, witnesses said that no Russian mercenaries were part of this group.
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