NIGHT FLIGHTS: A Cham Wings aircraft on the runway at the Rostov airport. The Syrian airline was hit with U.S. sanctions in 2016. REUTERS/Stringer
Reuters: How a secret Russian airlift helps Syria's Assad
Private Russian military contractors are being sent on clandestine flights to Syria, plane-tracking data shows. And a trail of documents reveals how aircraft from the West end up in the hands of those on U.S. blacklists.
MOSCOW/KIEV – In a corner of the departures area at Rostov airport in southern Russia, a group of about 130 men, many of them carrying overstuffed military-style rucksacks, lined up at four check-in desks beneath screens that showed no flight number or destination.
When a Reuters reporter asked the men about their destination, one said: "We signed a piece of paper – we're not allowed to say anything. Any minute the boss will come and we'll get into trouble.
“You too," he warned.
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WNU Editor: Apparently there are about 2,000 to 3,000 Russian military contractors at any time in Syria, and their roles is to act as shock troops in taking key positions that the Syrian army then takes the credit for. For those who are interested in the Syrian war, this Reuters post is a must read. This Reuters post also confirms what I have been reading on Russian websites and social media for the past few months.