Russian Special Forces Seen as Key to Aleppo Victory
Russian Special Forces Seen as Key to Aleppo Victory by Thomas Grove, Wall Street Journal
Russian special-operations forces have played a pivotal part in the Syrian ground offensive to retake Aleppo, a role shielded by secrecy about their operations there.
In the wake of Russia’s punishing aerial bombardment, Russian special forces have been operating in Aleppo for almost two months, helping the Syrian army with a focus on targeting rebel leaders in the eastern half of the city, according to two experts on Russia’s military. On Sunday, the weekly state news program Vesti Nedeli offered a rare glimpse of Russians in combat, airing footage of Russian special operators in Syria.
“Russian special forces have been in Aleppo for a number of weeks, where they’ve taken on a combat role,” said Ruslan Pukhov, the head of Moscow-based defense think tank CAST.
The elite troops are the same forces that carried out Moscow’s surprise annexation of Crimea in 2014. They are modeled on U.S. special-operations units—who also have a presence in Syria.
The presence of Russian special forces underscores the strategic importance for the Kremlin to make sure Aleppo is firmly in the hands of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before the allies seek to restart any negotiations on Syria’s future. Any such talks are unlikely until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, bringing what is expected to be a more friendly U.S. outlook toward Russia…
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I guess we are pretty good at advising and assisting any military force, to include the Russian military. They learned from us; perhaps we need to learn a few lessons from them.
QUOTE:
Russia has rarely publicized the presence of their elite troops, preferring to present its involvement in Syria as largely limited to air support. Special forces redeployed to Syria shortly after Russia launched its intervention in 2015. They came from Ukraine, where they were fighting on the side of pro-Russian rebels, according to officials familiar with the matter.
…“Russia is using [the Syrian conflict] as an opportunity to test and refine doctrine for these special-operation forces,” said Mr. Bukkvoll, adding that the deployment was likely approved at the highest levels.
“Special forces are specifically defined to be a tool in the hands of political leaders,” he said.
Russian special-operations forces typically serve high-intensity operational deployments of a few months, a rotation schedule that is modeled on the U.S. military’s elite special-operations teams. The Russians have closely studied the American experience as part of a multibillion-dollar military modernization project that began earlier in the decade.
In 2012, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, then chief of the Russian General Staff, traveled to U.S. Special Operations Command headquarters in Florida to meet with military officials, according to the State Department.
The trip was meant to download Americans’ experience with special forces to help Russia create a similar force, an official close to the U.S. military said.
“From the helmets to the kit, they look almost identical,” the official said.
Mr. Bukkvoll said the forces in Syria are likely comprised of three groups, including the special forces unit of Russia’s military intelligence; another special-operations unit along the lines of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force; and a unit called zaslon, or “screen,” which gives protection to civilian leaders and diplomatic installations. END QUOTE
Open-source imagery on social media has depicted what appear to be Spetsnaz with LH and IRGC-QF, among the Iran-led military ground force partner element of the Russian Federation intervention, during the Battle of Aleppo. In particular, these groups were photographed with Liwa al-Quds following that formation’s successful attack coming from the north of the pocket. This was one of the initial successes following the resumption of the siege, that ultimately led the way to victory.
Rather than the quagmire initially hoped for, Russian military forces have gained considerable hands-on experience from the Syrian conflict. The same can be said for Lebanese Hezbollah and IRGC-QF. Moreover, the Russian (and Iranian) footprint has remained relatively small, especially when compared to previous conflicts waged by these belligerents.
I would suggest, with respect, that Russian special forces in Syria are operating less like the examples cited below, and more like USSOCOM during the initial phase of OEF-A. Back then, USSOCOM worked with Afghan Northern Alliance as a military ground force partner, whereas today Russian special forces are working with Iran-led forces as their military ground force partner in Syria.