Moscow has in recent days begun recruiting military personnel in Syria who can fight in urban areas for the war against Ukraine, the WSJ reports, citing a comment by US officials..

Russia, which has been operating in Syria since 2015, has been recruiting Syrian fighters in recent days, believing that their experience in fighting in urban areas will help them capture Kyiv and deal a crushing blow to the Ukrainian government..

The WSJ writes that such a move indicates a possible escalation of hostilities in Ukraine.. Some of the Syrian militants are already in the Russian Federation and are preparing for hostilities.

US officials declined to elaborate on what else is known about sending Syrian fighters to Ukraine.

Arab media write that the Russian Federation offered volunteers from Syria from $200 to $300 to travel to Ukraine and work there as " Note that Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad..

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Russia may send about a thousand more mercenaries to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks, CNN reported, citing a comment by a US official.