According to news agencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin today (Friday) gave the green light to a program that allows "volunteers" in the Middle East to volunteer for the Russian army and fight in Ukraine.
According to reports, Putin told Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu who recently visited Syria: "If you see that there are people who want to volunteer - you must help them move to the war zones."
The Russian defense minister was quoted from the same meeting as saying that 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East are ready to fight alongside "Russia-backed forces in eastern Ukraine."
Earlier this month, the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that military elements in Syria had begun recruiting thousands of mercenaries in areas under the control of the Assad regime.
According to the same report, young Syrians are signing seven-month contracts in exchange for several thousand dollars.
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