Ukraine’s ‘White Wolves’ Unit Fighting Alongside Extremists in Syria: Report
By The Cradle
Ukraine’s White Wolves special operations unit is deployed in northern Syria alongside Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) militants who are waging an assault against the Syrian government in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo, according to multiple sources cited by Al Mayadeen on 3 December.
There is “direct Ukrainian involvement … in ongoing battles against the Syrian army across the fronts of Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib,” Al Mayadeen’s sources said. “The Ukrainian units operating in Syria are part of the White Wolf group, which is affiliated with Ukraine’s Security Service.”
The White Wolves unit is known for its expertise in the development and use of drones. It reportedly “controls the full range of drone weapons systems” in Syria.
“A deal was struck before the assault on Aleppo, between HTS and Ukrainian intelligence. The agreement reportedly led to the release of mercenaries – of Georgian, Chechen, and Albanian descent – from [HTS leader Abu Muhammad] al-Jolani’s prisons, who were subsequently integrated into the Ukrainian unit stationed in northwestern Syria,” based on Al Mayadeen’s sources.
According to a source cited by Russian news outlet RIA Novosti, HTS and other groups’ use of advanced drones in sophisticated operations against the Syrian army “would not have been possible to master” without help from Ukraine.
The source said the extremist groups in Syria “have no experience” with such weaponry.
“The assault groups and drones were equipped with encrypted GPS devices and extensive use of artificial intelligence so that the use and navigation of attack UAVs and kamikaze drones could take place from a long distance,” the source added.
Collaboration between the armed opposition in Syria and the Ukrainian military has been ongoing since 2022, when it was revealed that scores of HTS and ISIS militants were being sent to Ukraine to fight alongside Kiev’s forces against Russia.
In September, a Turkish newspaper reported that HTS and representatives of the Ukrainian government met recently to discuss a swap deal in which the extremist group would provide Kiev with fighters in exchange for drones.
Sputnik reported later that month, citing a source, that a group of 250 Ukrainian military experts had arrived in Syria’s northern Idlib governorate to train extremist militants in the use and manufacturing of drones.
The HTS-led assault against Damascus, which is being aided by Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) forces, began early on 27 November as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was taking effect.
Tel Aviv has been accused of involvement in the extremist group’s campaign – given the history of collaboration between Israel and the armed opposition in Syria.
Heavy Russian–Syrian airstrikes are hitting the positions and supply lines of HTS and allied groups across the countryside of Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama as Syrian military reinforcements continue to arrive at the battle lines.
The extremists have been pushed back from several areas in the Hama countryside.