In Syria, Russians are burning their documentation on combat operations and personnel, – expert

According to various estimates, there were up to 7,000 Russian soldiers in Syria, who, if evacuated from there, could be transferred to the front in Ukraine.

The Russians in Syria are now actively burning their documentation regarding the fighting in the country and personnel. This was stated by military analyst and former SBU employee Ivan Stupak on the air of Kyiv24 .

“It is now known for certain that the Russians are actively burning documentation. Everything related to the conduct of hostilities, personnel. Because they understand perfectly well that if the opposition forces get access to the documentation and get the broadest possible picture – how many sorties were made, how many bombs were dropped, etc., then there could be big problems for the Russian Federation in this particular location,” he noted.

According to Stupak, it is not known exactly how many Russian equipment and military contingent were in Syria. Most likely, this is mainly the aviation component of the Russian forces in the country.

“They gave different data. There are also air defense complexes there. According to unconfirmed data, there were 20 aircraft, 10 helicopters. Up to 7 thousand military personnel according to various estimates. Some say 2 thousand, some say 4 thousand, but the maximum figure that appeared is 7 thousand. And of course, the Russian Federation will try to take it all away, withdraw it,” the military analyst said.

Stupak noted that it would be more beneficial for Ukraine for the Russian Federation to get stuck in Syria, so that it would not allow the regime of dictator Bashar Assad to fall, and would throw even more people and more equipment there.

“In terms of people and equipment, I assume with a probability of more than 90% that if they return to Russia, they will be sent to the Ukrainian fronts. They are very needed there. It is not because of the good life that Russia turned to North Korea for support in manpower. About 7 thousand people – this will be a certain assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine. And a certain number of new aircraft will appear on the Ukrainian fronts. This will strengthen Russia a little,” he added.

According to him, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria is possible, in particular, through Turkey, which is the fastest option. But it is not yet known whether Turkey will provide an “air corridor.”

As Stupak noted, “Wagner” workers were working “on the ground” in Syria, but they disappeared after the elimination of the head of the military-industrial complex.

“I think that the Russian component – airplanes and helicopters – will increase. They may appear both on the Kursk Front and in the Donetsk direction. The most clashes are now in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhovo directions. Therefore, it is possible that they will (be transferred) to these two directions,” the analyst shared.

(C)UNIAN 2024