Russian mercenaries taken out by the US Army

[Sturmbringe]

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?

They were security contractors, poor people with no means of income who went to Syria to find employment.

If these privati soldiers were really employed by the RF, they wouldn't be there when the US struck.

[Skroe]

They were security contractors, poor people with no means of income who went to Syria to find employment.

If these privati soldiers were really employed by the RF, they wouldn't be there when the US struck.

Oh no.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...orces-in-syria

They were most certainly exactly what the US says they are.

The most important detail is that the Russians who were involved were likely in the employ of a private military company called Wagner.

Members of the firm, which officially runs its operations out of Hong Kong because such businesses are illegal in Russia, has no publicly available contact information, and reportedly recruits among former military personnel from Russia and former Soviet republics through word of mouth, has appeared alongside pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine and with pro-Assad forces in Syria, including as part of a militia known as the “ISIS Hunters.” There are reports that it has sent forces to Libya and Sudan, two other countries where Russia also has significant geopolitical interests. The group appears to be a direct outgrowth of the nebulous "little green men" that Putin employed in 2014 to seize Ukraine's Crimea region.

The possibility that Wagner or other Russian military contractors had been involved in the assault on Feb. 7 emerged almost immediately after the incident. Then, on Feb. 8, 2018, Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, a Russian veteran who has taken part in the fighting in Ukraine’s Crimea region and breakaway eastern provinces ostensibly as an independent operator, said the American counterattack had destroyed two Wagner “tactical units.”

Unlike other controversial private military companies, such as Blackwater and DynCorp, experts and observers widely believe that Wagner is either a cover for the Russian government itself or is separate, but under its direct supervision. So far, Kremlin officials have been very careful to say that no formal Russian troops took part in the attacks on U.S. troops in Syria, while otherwise deflecting responsibility.

“We can't exclude the possibility that Russian citizens may be present in Syria. They are not connected to the [Russian] armed forces,” Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal spokesperson, said on Feb. 14, 2018. “Let's all be realistic about the fact that there are quite a few of our compatriots in many countries of the world.”

These remarks were reminiscent of Putin’s own past suggestion that “patriotic” Russians acting on their own initiative could have been responsible for various cyber attacks and other attempts to influence the United States’ 2016 presidential election. The U.S. Intelligence Community is of the unanimous opinion that the Russian government was involved directly in those activities and is planning to do so again to try and influence the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.

In Syria, it seems difficult to believe that Wagner, or the Syrian forces they were cooperating with, could have acted without at least tacit approval from the Kremlin. There's also the matter of how they force got across Euphrates without Russian support. The Syrian Arab Army does have its own mobile bridging equipment, but it appears to be very limited.

In September 2017, Russia had rushed military bridging equipment to help enable a major push to seize control off the opposite shore near Deir ez-Zor, underscoring this relative lack of capability. The only formal bridge linking the city with the eastern bank of the river long ago ended up destroyed over the course of the fighting in the country.

However, a sudden rise in the water level had destroyed the Russian temporary pontoon bridge days before the first attack by Pro-Assad forces on American and SDF personnel. Shifting operational requirements could have allowed the Syrians to redirect its limited resources to this particular operation, but regardless it would have taken considerable effort and appropriate equipment, such as mobile ferries or other bridging systems, to move any significant number of tanks and large artillery pieces them across the river.

The US basically just blew up a bunch of Russian irregular troops on the indirect government payroll. Too bad so sad.

[Deleted]

You linked Wikipedia, a website that can be edited by anyone and Reuters are news source that has been in trouble for littering news with sensationalism.

Don't cry trolling, because you can't find factual sources confirming the end of ISIS.

Reuters is littering news with sensationalism? Reuters?

Are you sure about that?

[Aggrophobic]

That doesn't answer the question though. Are you aware of who's playing the game in Syria right? You do know whats going to happen once assad is gone yeh?

Do you? Take your russian bullshit somewhere else. It's not working here.

[Missed]

Do you? Take your russian bullshit somewhere else. It's not working here.

....
I take it you dont.

[Skroe]

That doesn't answer the question though. Are you aware of who's playing the game in Syria right? You do know whats going to happen once assad is gone yeh?

It'll be meatgrinder of a civil war for decades to come, and Russia will be out a once-reliable partner in the region.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing for the United States.

[Deianeira]

Mercenaries might come from a certain country but they are in no way - or under any law - seen as soldiers that are tied to a specific nation.

US mercenaries fight in many countries too, doesnt mean they are seen as US troops.

So you mean to say that if US citizens was involved in an operation on for instance Crimea Putin would not scream Bloody murder from the rooftops? HAH ye right.

[Missed]

It'll be meatgrinder of a civil war for decades to come, and Russia will be out a once-reliable partner in the region.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing for the United States.

It's bad for Europe, and so for the US too. And obviously mankind but you don't care about that do you tough boy.
Remind me again how many us soldiers died in Afghanistan and iraq? Cause this is pretty much what you're doing again. Do you not care about your fellow American brothers and sisters? Lol

[Machismo]

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.

You make quite a lot of claims, do you have any evidence to back it up?

[Deleted]

So you mean to say that if US citizens was involved in an operation on for instance Crimea Putin would not scream Bloody murder from the rooftops? HAH ye right.

There actually have been US mercenaries on the Ukrainian side in many battles. I remember seeing articles about this and no one cared about that either.

I know it's a way to fight a proxy war and Russia especially likes this system, but they still arent seen as actual troops under a certain banner because they work under a private contract.

[Deleted]

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.

Russia uses mercenaries and US is using terrorist groups, what's the difference?

[Dextroden]

It'll be meatgrinder of a civil war for decades to come, and Russia will be out a once-reliable partner in the region.

I fail to see how this is a bad thing for the United States.

Fuck you and your entire country. Ruskies must die!

-Skroe, 2018

[Skroe]

It's bad for Europe, and so for the US too.

The worst of it was years ago. Going forwad, no. It wouldn't be. It would be beneficial in that it would deeply occupy Russia, which would have to spend even more resources to hold onto access to the Mediterranean there.

And obviously mankind but you don't care about that do you tough boy.

No. I'm not 15.

Remind me again how many us soldiers died in Afghanistan and iraq?

In those wasted wars? Far too many. This type of thing - great power conflict to advance its own interests - is exactly what the US should be doing. Not trying to bring modernity and democracy to the most backwards places in the world when their people are far from ready for it.

Cause this is pretty much what you're doing again. Do you not care about your fellow American brothers and sisters? Lol

Not at all. It is, after all, 200 Russians killed by drones and US air power, not the other way around. The US doesn't have that kind of presence in Syria. Most of the US's forces are in Turkey. And ground forces? Most of those are in Europe and Korea.

We have very little to lose by keeping on "doing this" and so much to gain.

Think about it. The collective combat experience of the 200 Russian irregulars the US annihilated. Years of fighting in Ukraine, Libya, Georgia, Yemen, and everywhere else the Russians have stuck their fingers without wanting to get caught. And with the cost of a few bombs, the US wiped out something that will take Russia years to rebuild. That is exactly the kind of thing we should be spending my taxpayer dollars on.

As I posted on page one or something, these are the people that, were Russia to attack the Baltics, would be the front line. And now all that's left of them is a series of smoking craters. Europe is safer, because the US military killed some Russians irregulars very, very far from home.

Maybe fewer will be far from home in the future.

- - - Updated - - -

Russia uses mercenaries and US is using terrorist groups, what's the difference?

There is a significant difference.

The US isn't going to redploy our Syrian irregulars to go fight our battles, in say, Ukraine or Korea. Or help defend Europe. Or something like that. Because they aren't Americans. They're the locals.

Meanwhile these Russian mercenaries the US just sent to hell? I posted a link and will repost it now. Their comany, Wagner, is a front for Russian intelligence. They're not reallly mercenaries. Their hybrid forces. They're ex-soldiers who traded a uniform for plausible deniability. These people have been fighting Russia's wars with an aura of deniability for a decade and change. These guys had fought in Ukraine, in Crimea, in Georgia and elsewhere. And they are also Russian.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...orces-in-syria


So they're actually completely different.

[Kuntantee]

Do people still believe Assad will go at some point?

[Skroe]

Do people still believe Assad will go at some point?

Nah. He'll be there forever. BUT!

This is what Assad controlled in 2008.


And this is what he controls today.


He only is "wins" if you define it down to "not losing everything". Russia can enjoy it's ongoing client state investment, which is a devastated shell of what it was 10 years ago.

The Syrian army wasnt fighting, with Russian help, to control its interior and major cities 10 years ago. Now? It'll be fighting to do exactly that for years to come. Some "winning".

[Blobfish]

Pro Syrian forces are about to attack the US in Syria again
The Americans are preparing defences

Should be an interesting battle..

Drones should be useful again .. I like drones..they are cool

http://www.news.com.au/world/syrian-...78e11664351522

American troops looking over the battlefield.

[Skroe]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...source=twitter

The number has been revised up to 300 Russian mercenaries.

That will be hard for Russia to replace any time soon.

[Kuntantee]

@Skroe

Few years ago, he controlled much less than that. The guy is winning, with help of Russia of course. Idlib issue will be closed soon, and he'll probably turn to Kurds. You can never guess what Erdogan will do, but it is highly likely that if Kurds do not submit to Assad, he'll be helping Assad to annihilate every last Kurdish militant on Syria, effectively cleansing the country from the presence of Kurdish terrorists. That's the part you lose your last proxy, and effectively entire control over natural resources in Syria.

[Missed]

The worst of it was years ago. Going forwad, no. It wouldn't be. It would be beneficial in that it would deeply occupy Russia, which would have to spend even more resources to hold onto access to the Mediterranean there.


No. I'm not 15.

In those wasted wars? Far too many. This type of thing - great power conflict to advance its own interests - is exactly what the US should be doing. Not trying to bring modernity and democracy to the most backwards places in the world when their people are far from ready for it.

Not at all. It is, after all, 200 Russians killed by drones and US air power, not the other way around. The US doesn't have that kind of presence in Syria. Most of the US's forces are in Turkey. And ground forces? Most of those are in Europe and Korea.

We have very little to lose by keeping on "doing this" and so much to gain.

Think about it. The collective combat experience of the 200 Russian irregulars the US annihilated. Years of fighting in Ukraine, Libya, Georgia, Yemen, and everywhere else the Russians have stuck their fingers without wanting to get caught. And with the cost of a few bombs, the US wiped out something that will take Russia years to rebuild. That is exactly the kind of thing we should be spending my taxpayer dollars on.

As I posted on page one or something, these are the people that, were Russia to attack the Baltics, would be the front line. And now all that's left of them is a series of smoking craters. Europe is safer, because the US military killed some Russians irregulars very, very far from home.

Maybe fewer will be far from home in the future.

- - - Updated - - -



There is a significant difference.

The US isn't going to redploy our Syrian irregulars to go fight our battles, in say, Ukraine or Korea. Or help defend Europe. Or something like that. Because they aren't Americans. They're the locals.

Meanwhile these Russian mercenaries the US just sent to hell? I posted a link and will repost it now. Their comany, Wagner, is a front for Russian intelligence. They're not reallly mercenaries. Their hybrid forces. They're ex-soldiers who traded a uniform for plausible deniability. These people have been fighting Russia's wars with an aura of deniability for a decade and change. These guys had fought in Ukraine, in Crimea, in Georgia and elsewhere. And they are also Russian.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...orces-in-syria


So they're actually completely different.

The worst of it as to come still, IF and that's a big if you manage to separate Russia and EU you're going to have a major crisis to handle unless if course you actually do want the whole house of cards to collapse.
You might no be 15. You clearly think like a 15 years old that just done reading the prince.
Those wasted wars are the result of identical policies put in place decades ago. Who do you think will be doing the clean up? Saudi Arabia? Israel? Lolkek.
I think you should be using your taxpayers money back dude. Where it's severely needed.

[Shalcker]

There is a significant difference.

The US isn't going to redploy our Syrian irregulars to go fight our battles, in say, Ukraine or Korea. Or help defend Europe. Or something like that. Because they aren't Americans. They're the locals.

In fact many irregulars were re-deployed from Libya and elsewhere for Syrian conflict... most Kurds might be locals (though some surely came from Turkey and Iraq), but Turkey/Idlib side has plenty of free-floating fighters.

Meanwhile these Russian mercenaries the US just sent to hell? I posted a link and will repost it now. Their comany, Wagner, is a front for Russian intelligence. They're not reallly mercenaries. Their hybrid forces. They're ex-soldiers who traded a uniform for plausible deniability. These people have been fighting Russia's wars with an aura of deniability for a decade and change. These guys had fought in Ukraine, in Crimea, in Georgia and elsewhere. And they are also Russian.

Some of them literally had a few months of training before being deployed; not everyone is experienced.