The rebels in Syria received drones sent by Ukrainian intelligence agents last month, the newspaper said Washington Post.
Citing unnamed sources with knowledge of Ukraine’s military activity, the Washington Post reported that its intelligence services Ukrainian sent about 20 drone operators and about 150 unmanned aerial vehicles 4-5 weeks ago to Syria to help Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a few weeks before their advance that led to the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, on Sunday (08.12.2024).
Russia’s foreign ministry had alleged, without providing evidence, that Syrian rebels received drones from Ukraine and were trained to fly them. Kiev “categorically” rejected this claim.
HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, formed a transitional government after Assad was ousted.
The Russian military has aided Assad’s forces, launching airstrikes against the rebels.
Russian bloggers also warned that Assad’s overthrow would endanger not only Russian military bases in Syria but also Russia’s very presence in the Middle East.