Rebels supported?

Moscow sees Ukrainian trail to Syria

Syrian rebels in the province of Aleppo

(Bild: APA/AFP/Rami al SAYED)

While Iran predominantly sees a US and Israeli signature in the lightning offensive of the Islamist rebels in Syria, the Russian leadership accuses Ukraine of being responsible for the escalation in the civil war country. There are indeed indications of Ukrainian involvement.

There is information that the Ukrainian secret service is cooperating with the terrorists and that Kiev is both supplying drones and providing operating instructions for them, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. On Sunday, the English-language online portal "Kyiv Post" reported that Ukrainian military intelligence had been involved in training Islamist rebels in Syria.

Russia's foreign office spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

(Bild: AP)

According to Zakharova, Syria is not the only country in which Ukraine is currently interfering. Previously, Kiev had caused unrest in African countries, she claimed. In recent months, there have been indications that Ukrainian special forces are hunting down mercenaries from the Wagner group.

In recent days, Syrian rebels have taken control of large parts of the civil war country, including Syria's second largest city, Aleppo, in a surprising major offensive. Zakharova reaffirmed Moscow's continued support for ruler Bashar al-Assad. Russia had already kept him in power in 2015 through its intervention. According to its own statements, the Russian air force is once again intensively attacking targets in Syria, including the major city of Aleppo.

Rebel advance halted for the time being
The massive air strikes are likely to have halted the rebel advance on Hama, Syria's fourth largest city, for the time being. The insurgents have been pushed back from the outskirts of the strategically important city, according to both parties to the conflict. "We were forced to retreat by heavy enemy bombardment from the air," explained one of the rebel commanders, Abu al-Qaqaa. 

A capture of Hamas would significantly increase the pressure on Syrian President Assad. In view of the recent rapid advance of the rebels, Iran, which is allied with Assad, is considering sending troops if requested to do so.

Already more than 500 dead in fighting
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is monitoring the war with a network of informants on the ground, more than 570 people have died in the latest fighting, including almost 100 civilians.