During the revolt in Russia
Syria’s security forces took action against Wagner mercenaries
7/7/2023, 8:17 p.m
At the end of June, the Wagner group rehearsed an uprising in Russia. In Damascus, the authorities are following the rebellion with concern – and are taking action. Security forces isolate the mercenaries stationed in Syria from the outside world. The Russian military is helping.
According to insiders, the government in Damascus and Russian military officials quickly took action against the mercenaries in Syria during the Wagner group uprising in Russia. This was to prevent the rebellion from spreading there, six people familiar with the process told Reuters. Measures included cutting telephone lines and summoning Wagner commanders to a Russian military base.
The mercenaries were given the choice of signing new contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry or leaving Syria. The government in Damascus has not publicly commented on the Wagner uprising on June 23 and 24 – Friday and Saturday. In a dispute with the Russian leadership, mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had instructed his fighters to march on Moscow. They had advanced hundreds of kilometers from Rostov-on-Don without much resistance until a Belarus-brokered agreement persuaded them to turn back.
According to insiders, senior Syrian military and intelligence officials were concerned during the uprising. They feared that he might have had a negative impact on the close and important ally’s Russian military presence in the country. According to insiders, the Syrian military intelligence service immediately cut the landline and Internet connections where the Wagner troops were stationed. This was to prevent them from communicating with each other, with the Wagner units in Russia or with relatives back home, three people said.
“Wagner no longer plays a role in Syria”
Then, on Saturday morning, Syrian military intelligence and Russian defense officials worked together to isolate the mercenaries in Syria. About a dozen Wagner officers in Homs province and other parts of Syria were called up to the Russian base in Hmeimim. By June 24, the Wagner fighters were then asked to sign contracts in which they would report directly to the Russian Ministry of Defense, it said. Her pay was also reduced. Those who refused the contracts were flown out in Russian Ilyushin planes in the days that followed.
An insider said there were dozens of mercenaries. This surprised Syrian officials: they expected more mercenaries to refuse and go into exile. In 2015, Russia deployed its armed forces and, in particular, its air force to Syria. There, it helped President Bashar al-Assad put down insurgents. Since then, Wagner has been involved in combat missions and securing oil facilities. The group was represented in Syria with around 250 to 450 fighters and thus on a comparatively small scale. Official figures on staffing levels were not available.
“Wagner no longer plays a role in Syria,” said Nawar Schaban of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies, an independent research group based in Istanbul. In view of the events, work with the Syrian Ministry of Defense has ended. Wagner had already withdrawn many experienced fighters from Syria last year in order to deploy them in Ukraine. This was reported by analysts and a retired Syrian military officer. The Syrian government, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Wagner did not comment on the information.