02-13-2018, 08:34 PM
(02-13-2018, 02:58 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: Al Jazeera just broadcast a report about last week's clash between
US-backed forces and Syrian allies in Deir az-Zour. According to the
report, the catastrophic deaths of the 200 pro-Syrian soldiers is a
growing scandal in Russia, because it's turning out that the 200
soldiers were not Syrian, but were Russian mercenaries. Russia
normally hides its use of mercenaries, but this is a growing scandal
in Russian social media, and the public is demanding to know how much
the Russian armed forced are using mercenaries. This could force the
Kremlin to admit that it's been using mercenaries in Ukraine, Crimea,
and elsewhere, to save money and preserve deniability.
I just checked, and Debka is reporting the same story.
https://www.debka.com/200-russian-advise...ces-syria/
If Putin is smart, he will use the outrage to "prohibit" Russian "mercenaries". He can save face and get out of Syria at the same time.
If he's not smart, I supposed the Russian public might end up calling for war with the US, putting Putin in a really tough spot.
