The despair of Russian mercenaries under US artillery fire in Syria
Under fierce attacks from American artillery and helicopters, the Russian mercenary group in Syria could only run around and endure the battle.
Russian billionaire suspected of sending mercenaries to Syria
US troops shelled a mercenary group in Syria.
The US military on February 7 bombed and shelled a group of Russian mercenaries accused of attacking a gas plant near a base of US special forces and Kurdish militia in eastern Syria. While the Russian government confirmed that five of its citizens were killed, the US side said that nearly 200 gunmen died in the attack, according toTask and Purpose.
A recently leaked audio recording of a communication between members of the Russian mercenary group shows that the heavy US firepower shredded the formation and did not give them any chance to counterattack, or even just defend to reduce casualties.
Accordingly, from the first volleys of airstrikes, US artillery destroyed most of the mercenary team’s tanks and armored reconnaissance vehicles (BRDMs). Only one tank and one BRDM survived this rain of fire.
"The Americans attacked. First they used artillery. Then they sent four helicopters to attack us with heavy machine guns. We had nothing but assault rifles. Nothing, not even anti-aircraft missiles or anything like that," a Russian mercenary said in the video.
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US artillery fires during a military operation. Photo:True Pundi. |
According to this person, the mercenary unit's formation was divided into three groups to attack the target. However, the surprise counterattack by the US immediately killed nearly 200 gunmen in the leading group, while the second group lost 10 people. "They tore apart the formation and put us in a terrible situation," the gunman described.
Faced with fierce fire, the Russian mercenaries could only run around and desperately wait for the American planes to retreat."There are no American infantry on the battlefield. We are simply facing artillery," one mercenary said in the tape.
According to analysts, it seems that the Russian mercenary group did not know that US special forces were present near the oil field area where they planned to attack, so they suffered the most disastrous defeat since operating in Syria.
The US special forces were also said to have been unaware of the Russians in the attack. The US had informed the Russian military stationed in Syria in advance that it would strike the attackers, but the Russians reportedly did not attempt to stop them.
Russian private security companies may have sent mercenaries to fight in Syria. The work in Syria is harsh and often puts mercenaries in life-threatening situations.
They may be ordered to attack targets in enemy territory, protect infrastructure or escort local officials and businessmen. Salaries for mercenaries are quite high, but the casualty rate on the job is not small.
According to some US officials, the mercenaries initially came to Syria with the sole purpose of supporting the Russian military to ensure security on the battlefield. However, this army recruited by billionaires and private security companies gradually turned its attention to oil fields and resources in Syria. The Russian military is said to be very angry with that action because it could trigger very serious incidents between Russia and the US on the Syrian battlefield.