The ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia gets another unsettling update as the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, announced on 11 March that he’s approving up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East to fight alongside Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine.
The volunteers will be deployed to the Russian-backed forces present in the breakaway Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. The region was recognised by Putin on 22 February as an independent state since the full-scale attack on Ukraine began.
Decision to Use Volunteers During Security Council Meeting
The approval was given during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council which includes Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
(For those of you wondering who Shoigu is, he’s serving as the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation since 2012 and is the General of the Russian army – also informally known as Putin’s right hand man.)
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The volunteers are mercenaries with battle experience gained from the participation of conflicts such as Syria. This decision was made so that the ongoing invasion of Ukraine could continue to avoid more Russian military casualties.
“If you see that there are (people from the Middle-East) willing to go there and help the people of Donbas as volunteers, especially free of charge, well, we should grant them their wish and help them reach the combat zone,” said Putin.
Supply of Captured Western-made Weapons to Donbass Forces
“Secondly, in regards to supplies of weapons, especially Western-made weapons that ended up in the hands of the Russian Army, of course, I support the possibility of transferring them to military units of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics,” continued Putin during the meeting.
The weapons in question, according to Reuters, are Western-made Javelin and Stinger missiles. It also includes other military weaponry such as man-portable air-defense systems and anti-tank rocket complexes.
To date, Putin claims that the “special military operation” in Ukraine – or the ongoing invasion – is essential to protect Russia after the United States expanded NATO up to its borders and supported pro-Western leaders in Kyiv.
Current Situation of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Currently, Ukraine is still holding on their own – males between the ages of 18 to 60 were banned from leaving and are required to stay and defend the country.
Meanwhile, European as well as Asian allies (including Singapore) have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have since introduced sanctions in hopes to stop the war from progressing further. China has also since called for calm despite the refusal to recognise Russia’s attacks as an invasion.
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Featured Image: The Guardian