Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Russia's prestige suffered heavy blow in Syria at the hands of US forces (100-300 killed)

A week ago, the detachments of Russian mercenaries hired by Russian "Wagner" company suffered a defeat in the clash with US-led forces in Syria. From the beachhead on the east bank of the Euphrates the Russians unexpectedly began a night attack on Kurdish positions, where the Americans were also located. Both American and the Kurdish commanders contacted Russian officers on the other side of the river to stop the assault. But the Russians said that their troops are not in this area. When during the night's attack the Americans were attacked by 10 tanks and 30 other vehicles they withdrew from their positions to allow artillery fire. The attacking Russians were met with an avalanche of rockets and artillery shells.

Apparently the Russian artillery supporting tanks was destroyed by drone attacks. "There were so many dead that the bodies from the battlefield were taken by trucks," wrote the former Russian commander in the Donbass Igor Striełkov on the Russian social network.

Despite the passage of the week, the number of victims is still unknown. Deputy Chairman of the Duma Igor Lebedev claims that "Wagner" lost 200 people. - Two companies have been completely destroyed, and this is about 300 people - Russian military analyst Aleksander Golc told Polish newspaper,Rzeczpospolita.

Wagner group was decimated, while experts believe that it was the main attack force of the Russians in Syria.

If the massive deaths of Russian citizens really took place, then the appropriate officials - including the commander in chief (Russian president) - should announce this to the country and determine who is responsible - publicly demanded Grigory Jawlinski, the presidential candidate. The Ministry of Defense claims that there were no Russian soldiers there, so it will not comment on anything. At the same time, however, the order was issued to limit the use of social networks by Russian troops. Vladimir Putin ceased to appear in public as soon as there were rumors of defeat in Syria. Supposedly he caught a cold.

Soon they will start bringing coffins to the country and there will be funerals in various corners of Russia and no one can explain why the Russians attacked the Americans. According to unconfirmed information, the main target of the attack was crude oil extraction facilities, and mercenaries were sure that the US military would not dare shoot at them.

In the mean time American media found those responsible for the attack:

  • Nytimes.com: Dozens of Russians Are Believed Killed in U.S.-Backed Syria Attack
  • ABC News: The Latest: Russia says US trying to control east Syria
  • Bloomberg.com: U.S. Strikes Killed Scores of Russia Fighters in Syria, Sources Say