President’s Office: Putin urgently transfers troops from Syria to “kindle the flame” of war in Ukraine

Evropeyska Pravda – Saturday, 7 May 2022, 22:23

Mykhailo Podoliak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said, citing Israeli media, that Russia is transferring troops from Syria to Ukraine.

Evropeyska Pravda reports that Podoliak posted about this on Twitter.

Podoliak noted that, according to Israeli media, Russia is urgently withdrawing troops from Syria and handing over control of its military bases to IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"Moscow is surrendering its positions in the region [the Middle East] in order to kindle the flame of war in Ukraine. Isn’t everything ‘going according to plan’? Well, and a fabulous plan it was. Reliable as a Swiss watch", Podoliak wrote.

Earlier, the Israeli website DEBKAfile reported, citing sources, that Russian units stationed in Syria were gathering at Hmeimim, Qamishli, Deir e-Zor and T4 air bases, and some of them were ready to be transferred to the Ukrainian front. DEBKAfile’s military sources reported that Russia has handed over its key military bases to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

The Moscow Times reported similar information, citing its own sources.

According to The Moscow Times, the exact number of Russian troops in Syria is currently unknown.

General [Aleksandr] Dvornikov, the new commander of Russian troops in Ukraine, went through the Syrian war. President Vladimir Putin of Russia tasked Dvornikov with winning the war in Ukraine by 9 May when he was appointed in early April.

On Saturday, CIA Director William Burns said that Vladimir Putin could not afford to lose in Ukraine, so he is ready to double down.