Russian mercenaries taken out by the US Army

[P for Pancetta]

Apparently a host composed of Syrian soldiers and Russian mercenaries was taken out by the US army earlier this week when trying to take over an oil field controlled by Kurdish militants supported by the US.

According to Russian media the Russians involved worked for a company called Wagner Group a private security firm also active in Ukraine, some believe this to be a unofficial part of Russian military fighting fights Russia officially does not want to engage but this is speculation at this point. One of the people believed to be behind this company is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessmen who's companies do the catering for Putin when he receives foreign dignitaries. He denies all ties to the Wagner Group. According to Russian sources he gets a portion of the profits made by reclaimed oil fields.

According to various sources over 200 people where killed and many military equipment was destroyed during the attack. Among those killed many Russian mercenaries. The US say they warned Russia prior to the attack, but got told there were no Russian troops in the area. On audio-files recorded by Wagner employees during the attack the mercenaries where cursing angrily saying they'd stood no change against the advanced military weaponry fielded by the US.

What do you guys think? Where these guys just your run of the mill mercenaries stuck between a rock and a hard place? Or are they a part of modern Russian military tactics, one based on proxy warfare and plausible deniability?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...rstrikes-syria
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...rikes-in-syria
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...led-Syria.html
https://www.rt.com/news/418720-syria...lties-reports/

[Deleted]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

[ItsRainingMetal]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

Securing oil fields it looks like.

[Corvus]

Isn't it against Russian law for Russians to server as mercenaries?

The story on this one keeps changing. First it was a 'Pro-Government Militia' that staged the attack. Now it looks like a lot of Russians were involved and got absolutely smashed. There were apparently two units of 'independent contractors' - one got destroyed, the second severely mauled.

And seeing the attack involved T-72 tanks and heavy artillery, it does not sound like any mercenary group to me. Someone had to fund and equip them, and that level of equipment means it had to have some form of government backing - whether Syrian or Russian is up to debate.

Given that Putin made a big deal about bringing the troops home, it sounds a bit shady. Bring the regular troops home and replace them with 'independent contractors'. Possibly 'volunteers' like were seen in Ukraine.

It could have been just a big misunderstanding, but it could have been an attempt to take out the SDF HQ and bag a few Americans in the process that went horribly wrong. If it was then there may be a few 'accidents' in the near future - SAM sites firing on US aircraft, accidental shelling of positions were Americans are known to be embedded - that kind of thing. All conducted by non-state actors of course, for plausible deniability.

[Felaris Stormrage]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

ISIS hasn't been defeated yet. Besides, who else is going to play World Police?

[Deleted]

ISIS hasn't been defeated yet. Besides, who else is going to play World Police?

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...-idUSKBN1E11R3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americ...rian_Civil_War

In mid-January 2018, the Trump administration indicated that it intended to maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to counter Iran′s influence and oust Syrian president Bashar Assad.[117]

[Aggrophobic]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

Syrias dictator is not, however.

[Deleted]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

I doubts IS is totaly defeted, but if you are right.... you shall ask whay Assad are still a dicator.... he did "only" retained power becuse of IS...

[Mavett]

Apparently a host composed of Syrian soldiers and Russian mercenaries was taken out by the US army earlier this week when trying to take over an oil field controlled by Kurdish militants supported by the US.

According to Russian media the Russians involved worked for a company called Wagner Group a private security firm also active in Ukraine, some believe this to be a unofficial part of Russian military fighting fights Russia officially does not want to engage but this is speculation at this point. One of the people believed to be behind this company is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessmen who's companies do the catering for Putin when he receives foreign dignitaries. He denies all ties to the Wagner Group. According to Russian sources he gets a portion of the profits made by reclaimed oil fields.

According to various sources over 200 people where killed and many military equipment was destroyed during the attack. Among those killed many Russian mercenaries. The US say they warned Russia prior to the attack, but got told there were no Russian troops in the area. On audio-files recorded by Wagner employees during the attack the mercenaries where cursing angrily saying they'd stood no change against the advanced military weaponry fielded by the US.

What do you guys think? Where these guys just your run of the mill mercenaries stuck between a rock and a hard place? Or are they a part of modern Russian military tactics, one based on proxy warfare and plausible deniability?

Whatever tactics those PMC's were involved in, they are no longer take part in it after being battered by Jets, Helicopters and other fire support for around 3 hours.

[Deleted]

Syrias dictator is not, however.

I doubts IS is totaly defeted, but if you are right.... you shall ask whay Assad are still a dicator.... he did "only" retained power becuse of IS...

Good that we could be honest with each other. Because this is indeed illegal (by international law & UN) and warmongering US politic, aiming for escalation. And this thread here is part of it - US oversteps again and the whole world can only pray that the other party bites their teeth.

[Skroe]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

Continuing to fight the proxy war against Russia, which has been the entire point from the start.

[Aggrophobic]

Good that we could be honest with each other. Because this is indeed illegal (by international law & UN) and warmongering US politic, aiming for escalation. And this thread here is part of it - US oversteps again and the whole world can only pray that the other party bites their teeth.

So is gasing your own people but that never stopped Assad. The guy needs to be removed.

[Skroe]

Apparently a host composed of Syrian soldiers and Russian mercenaries was taken out by the US army earlier this week when trying to take over an oil field controlled by Kurdish militants supported by the US.

According to Russian media the Russians involved worked for a company called Wagner Group a private security firm also active in Ukraine, some believe this to be a unofficial part of Russian military fighting fights Russia officially does not want to engage but this is speculation at this point. One of the people believed to be behind this company is Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessmen who's companies do the catering for Putin when he receives foreign dignitaries. He denies all ties to the Wagner Group. According to Russian sources he gets a portion of the profits made by reclaimed oil fields.

According to various sources over 200 people where killed and many military equipment was destroyed during the attack. Among those killed many Russian mercenaries. The US say they warned Russia prior to the attack, but got told there were no Russian troops in the area. On audio-files recorded by Wagner employees during the attack the mercenaries where cursing angrily saying they'd stood no change against the advanced military weaponry fielded by the US.

What do you guys think? Where these guys just your run of the mill mercenaries stuck between a rock and a hard place? Or are they a part of modern Russian military tactics, one based on proxy warfare and plausible deniability?

Yeah this is really excellent news. The US needs to keep doing this. If it sees Russian mercenaries, wipe them out, wherever they are.

Russia uses these mercenaries for mischief. It uses them in Ukraine. it uses them in Moldova and other frozen conflicts. It used them in the Balkans. These people move conflict to conflict.

It is in the US's interests to remove as many experience Russian fighters from the field, because they'd be the very first people Vladmir Putin sends into the Baltics.

[Deleted]

Plz don't post fake news here, this is not confirmed by either side, if it was anywhere near truth, RT would screech headlines all over their site.

Btw don't have to attack kurds, they plead for Assad to protect them against turkey n their al qaida isis forces...also russia has been trying for years to not confront kurds.
Is this story deflection cuz erdogan turned trump into a bitch? Guy is silent n backing down from confronting erdogan.

[Missed]

Yeah this is really excellent news. The US needs to keep doing this. If it sees Russian mercenaries, wipe them out, wherever they are.

Russia uses these mercenaries for mischief. It uses them in Ukraine. it uses them in Moldova and other frozen conflicts. It used them in the Balkans. These people move conflict to conflict.

It is in the US's interests to remove as many experience Russian fighters from the field, because they'd be the very first people Vladmir Putin sends into the Baltics.

..... the baltics?

[Skroe]

..... the baltics?

If Russia were to attack NATO, they would do it in the Baltics. Russia, and Vladmir Putin covets them.



The Baltics are the only part of NATO that shares a land border with Russia (Kalingrad aside). The borderlands have Russian speaking populations, many descended from those that were transpanted there during Soviet times.

The most likely action for Russia in an attempt to seize the Baltics (or seize a large part of them) is to claim that the governments are engaging in some kind of anti-ethnic Russian activity, and that the locals are taking up arms to fight the tyranny of the Baltics government. Those armed locals, of course, would be these Russian mercenaries, or Crimea style "Little Green Men".

Once Latvian, Estonian and Lithianian security forces move to confront the these armed Russian interloopers, Russia would send in it's conventional forces to "defend ethnic Russians in a humanitarian intervention", and then dare the US to evict it.

The above, broadly, is the most common outline for how Russia invades NATO territory. The mercenaries give Russia plausible deniability, predating the sending in of conventional forces as relief. This is exactly what happened in Ukraine. And the reason is the same. Russia was concerned about Ukraine joining the EU one day, along with NATO. This would give NATO ground forces a quick and easy drive right into Russia's soft underbelly. Seizing the borderlands gives Russia a buffer. It would be, conceptually, the same thing in the Baltics. Russia would have a borderland under control of "the locals", which would really be Russian mercenaries, as a buffer against a NATO ground force.


Is it stupid? Yes. It is completely stupid. Russia is so historically obsessed with preventing the next Napoleon or Hitler from marching on Moscow, they've long under-prepared for the fact that NATO would never, ever strike them like that. I mean, really... sending NATO tanks INTO Russia? It's a completely crazy idea. If push came to shove, the US would do many, many things to creatively bludgeon Russia, but never that. They should be much more afraid of long range bombers from the Middle East and Indian ocean.

But hey, Russia's afraid of what its afraid of.

[Deleted]

What is the US even doing in Syria? IS was defeated months ago.

Yeah, all Western powers should pull out now tbh.

Let Syria figure it out with Russia from here on.

[Missed]

If Russia were to attack NATO, they would do it in the Baltics. Russia, and Vladmir Putin covets them.



The Baltics are the only part of NATO that shares a land border with Russia (Kalingrad aside). The borderlands have Russian speaking populations, many descended from those that were transpanted there during Soviet times.

The most likely action for Russia in an attempt to seize the Baltics (or seize a large part of them) is to claim that the governments are engaging in some kind of anti-ethnic Russian activity, and that the locals are taking up arms to fight the tyranny of the Baltics government. Those armed locals, of course, would be these Russian mercenaries, or Crimea style "Little Green Men".

Once Latvian, Estonian and Lithianian security forces move to confront the these armed Russian interloopers, Russia would send in it's conventional forces to "defend ethnic Russians in a humanitarian intervention", and then dare the US to evict it.

The above, broadly, is the most common outline for how Russia invades NATO territory. The mercenaries give Russia plausible deniability, predating the sending in of conventional forces as relief. This is exactly what happened in Ukraine. And the reason is the same. Russia was concerned about Ukraine joining the EU one day, along with NATO. This would give NATO ground forces a quick and easy drive right into Russia's soft underbelly. Seizing the borderlands gives Russia a buffer. It would be, conceptually, the same thing in the Baltics. Russia would have a borderland under control of "the locals", which would really be Russian mercenaries, as a buffer against a NATO ground force.


Is it stupid? Yes. It is completely stupid. Russia is so historically obsessed with preventing the next Napoleon or Hitler from marching on Moscow, they've long under-prepared for the fact that NATO would never, ever strike them like that. I mean, really... sending NATO tanks INTO Russia? It's a completely crazy idea. If push came to shove, the US would do many, many things to creatively bludgeon Russia, but never that. They should be much more afraid of long range bombers from the Middle East and Indian ocean.

But hey, Russia's afraid of what its afraid of.

Do you get paid for this amount of misinformation or is it purely a passion of yours?

[Skroe]

Do you get paid for this amount of misinformation or is it purely a passion of yours?

Exactly what is misinformation? This should be good.

[Cerilis]

Well, Syria is a dangerous place to be on vacation.