Pro-regime Facebook pages associated with Syria’s fourth armoured division have posted adverts seeking fighters for Ukraine, promising $3,000 over six months – a significant salary in a country where the average income is 100,000 SYP, roughly £23 per month.
Russian support for Damascus has raised Moscow’s standing for many pro-regime Syrians and with violence at a low ebb in Syria, many fighters are eager for a salary.
One Syrian army veteran looking to fight in Ukraine told The Telegraph: “I have no problem going to fight now that the situation here has calmed down.
“Of course, I need to feed my family and Russia fought with us here, so it’s normal to go and help them if they need it.”
The man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “I don’t care who is in Ukraine, for me it’s important to fight with Russia.”
He said he had already worked with the Russians in Aleppo and Deir Ezzor. “We don’t speak their language but it doesn’t matter, we have the experience,” he said.