New YorkRussian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to bring in ‘volunteer fighters’ from the Middle East and other parts to join the invasion of Ukraine. According to a Kremlin transcript, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia knew “more than 16,000 applicants” from Middle-East countries who helped Russia against the Islamic State group.
Shoigu said he would fight on behalf of pro-Russian separatists’ territories in eastern Ukraine. He said that “they want to participate in the liberation movement.”
Since 2015, Russian forces have been backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime has been opposed by various groups, including the Islamic State. Putin told Shoigu that Russia should help volunteers to “get to the war zone”.