Reporting by DER SPIEGEL shows that events were likely very different. The Wagner Group is trained at Russian Defense Ministry bases, and the groups leaders have received awards in the Kremlin, but Russia downplayed its involvement in the engagement thats come to be known as the Battle of Khasham. Russia claimed the clash was a result of American aggression. [70] The same day, a Wagner representative notified the parents of one of the two that both had died in captivity. [123] The ground offensive was launched on 6 May, after a week-long aerial campaign against rebel territory,[124] with pro-government troops managing to capture two major towns within three days. [23] When they arrived in Syria the PMCs received T-72 tanks, BM-21 Grad MLRs and 122 mm D-30 howitzers. [15][16][17] The Russian Ministry of Defence's statement, released on 8 February 2018, referred to the incident at the village of Salihiyah (located south of the SDF-held town of Abu Hamam in the Abu Kamal District) and said that it was caused by reconnaissance actions of Syrian militias that had not been cleared with the Russian operations command; the statement stressed that there were no Russian service members in the "designated district of the Deir ez-Zor province of Syria". [44], In March 2021, human rights lawyers from three nongovernmental organizations representing the killed person's brother filed a lawsuit in Moscow against six Wagner Group PMCs accused of the killing. [70][71] News outlets also noted that Vladimir Putin abruptly cancelled most of his previously announced engagements scheduled for 12 and 13 February, his press service citing ill health, and instead had a secret conference with his top military chiefs;[72][73] he also had a telephone conversation with U.S. president Donald Trump on 12 February, with no details revealed. I am walking on a tightrope here, he said. While working with regular Syrian government forces, they were first to establish civilian evacuation corridors and then engage in the attack on the city. [104] Der Spiegel and the SOHR reported mostly Syrians were killed in the strikes. The memoir, based on events Gabidullin claims he witnessed, follows three years of Wagners Syrian campaign. It describes some of the mercenaries big battles, including two operations to liberate the ancient city of Palmyra. Scores of Wagner soldiers are believed to have fought and died in Syria since the conflict began in 2011. Ukraine updates: Wagner head says heavy losses in Bakhmut 2018 Battle of KhashamSyria War--U.S. Special Forces [90], Several days after the battle, various Russian groups started confirming a number of Wagner PMCs had been killed in the air-strikes. [35], The clashes lasted four hours and saw more than 100 Syrian pro-government fighters killed, with one SDF fighter injured, according to the coalition. [15][11] Supported by T-72 and T-55 tanks, the pro-government troops first shelled the SDF base with artillery, mortars, and rockets in what U.S. military officials described as a "coordinated attack". ARCHIVED; Posted: 6/10/2019 4:01:43 AM EDT Battle of Khasham Date: 78 February 2018 Location: near Khasham, Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria This video goes into the Wagner Group and Russian families who lost sons in the battle (duration 00:12:21). WebThe Wagner Group (Russian: Syrian civil war Battle of Khasham: 7 February 2018: 1464 killed (confirmed) 80100 killed (estimated) 100200 wounded: The Ukrainian SBU claimed 80 were killed and 100 wounded, naming 64 of the dead. Exclusive: Russian mercenaries [11] As unconfirmed accounts of casualties among Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in the strike emerged, the incident was billed by media as "the first deadly clash between citizens of Russia and the United States since the Cold War". "[97], The death of the Russian investigative journalist Maksim Borodin, who wrote about the deaths of mercenaries in Syria in mid-April 2018, was linked by the media to his publications about Wagner's casualties in the clash at Khasham. "Russians dead in 'battle' in Syria's east", "How a 4-Hour Battle Between Russian Mercenaries and U.S. Its description of the clash near Khasham was reposted by Grey Zone in subsequent posts. On Feb. 7, 2018, 500 pro-government Syrian troops, including Iranian-trained Shia militiamen, along with Russian military contractors began their attack on The military claimed that, according to intercepted radio traffic, the groups were partly ISIL and partly Kurds, and retreated towards the Conoco factory. [84][85], On 19 February 2018, a publication by the Ukraine-based Inform Napalm alleged the battle was planned and cleared with the Russian military command by Sergey Kim, the chief of Wagner's operations department and a former Russian Marine officer. Marat Gabidullin has written memoir about fighting for Wagner because Russians should know mercenaries exist. [103] The Carpathians consisted of about 100 fighters. On paper, the firm does not exist, with no company registration, tax returns or organisational chart to be found. At about 10 pm, local time, on 7 February 2018, a battle began near the Syrian town of Khasham in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, between pro-Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF, supported by the U.S. military. [119] In May, the SBU announced it identified Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Demyanenko of the Russian Armed Forces as the Carpathians' trainer. The memoir also describes mercenaries day-to-day lives, including occasional looting, and his commanders missteps. The battle of Khasham 2022-03-18 - On 7 February 2018, a large group of Russian-speaking Wagner fighters, working with a pro-Assad militia, launched an attack on a US-backed, Kurdish-controlled military base in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, where the Kurds had taken control of one of the countrys largest oil and natural gas fields. [32], More than two years later, full footage was uploaded to a closed VKontakte group for members of Wagner with new information asserting that the killed person was a Syrian Army soldier who had deserted. It describes some of the mercenaries big battles, including two operations to liberate the ancient city of Palmyra. But, of course, we should investigate that messed-up stuff., A Russian taboo: film explores death of private soldier in Syria, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. WebThe battle of Khasham was February 7, 2018. [10] Their equipment was delivered to Syria via the so-called Syrian Express,[11] a fleet of Russian military and civilian merchant ships that had been delivering supplies to Syria since 2012. [9] Others were transported to Syria by the Syrian Cham Wings airline from the Rostov-on-Don Airport, with 51 round trips being made between January 2017 and March 2018. [20][65], On 12 February 2018, Grigory Yavlinsky called on President Vladimir Putin to present an account of whether any Russian military forces had been involved in the battle. In Ukraine, Wagner had fought a low-intensity [82] On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a Euronews channel interview said, "[The United States] seem to be seeking to isolate a vast part of the Syrian territory from the rest of the country in violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. [24] During the first Palmyra offensive, according to one of the contractors, the PMCs were used as "cannon fodder" and most of the work was conducted by them, with the regular Syrian Army, who he described as "chickens", only finishing the job. No casualties were reported on either side of the engagement. [29] The ISIS Hunters were one of the leading units[30] during the capture of the al-Shaer gas fields from ISIL in late April 2017. [50] Prominent among those figures who early on made public information about presumably high numbers of Russian casualties in the U.S. strike was Igor Strelkov,[35][62] who in late February 2018 was registered as an authorized representative of Sergey Baburin, leader of the nationalist Russian All-People's Union and candidate for the 2018 Russian presidential election. [78] The pocket was cleared on 9 February. [125] Members of the Russian special forces were also present during the offensive. No U.S. troops were reported killed or wounded. They arrived at the village of Marrot, which is northwest of both Khasham and the nearby SDF base. Because it is not just about me, said Gabidullin. In 2017, backed by U.S. forces, the SDF captured Raqqa from the Islamic State and then advanced to the Euphrates River, where a deconfliction line was established by the governments of the United States and Russia. [2], Later that same day, under the cover of darkness, about twice as many pro-Syrian government fighters successfully crossed a different bridge located northeast of Deir ez-Zor Airport. [14] The remaining 23 pro-government personnel, including 15 Russians PMCs, were not killed in the airstrikes, but instead caught in a booby-trapped explosion at an arms depot at Tabiyet Jazira. [136] At the end of December 2020, ISIL attacks intensified in eastern Syria, after the PMCs reportedly withdrew from Deir ez-Zor province to Latakia. [135] In April, the Wagner-linked Russian security contractor "Evro Polis" delivered 50 ventilators, 10,000 coronavirus test kits, and 2,000 items of protective clothing to Syria amid the coronavirus pandemic. [2] At around 10 p.m. that night, these fighters began to advance southeast toward Khasham. [103], On 29 April 2018, pro-government forces launched an assault against four SDF villages on the Euphrates, initially capturing them. [130] It was thought that Wagner PMCs were involved in the taking over of an abandoned US military base in the area, due to the confirmed presence of a Russian journalist who was known to regularly follow the contractors. WebThe mixed group of Syrian forces and Russian mercenaries from the notorious Kremlin-linked Wagner Group swelled to an estimated 500 troops by early night. [79], At about 10pm, local time, on 7 February 2018, a battle began near the Syrian town of Khasham in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, between pro-Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led SDF, supported by the U.S. military. [42] Further investigation by Russian media in December 2019 identified the remaining perpetrators as Vladimir B., Dzhakhongyr M. ("Pamir"), Ruslan ("Chichi") and Vladislav Apostol, who was killed in Syria in February 2018. For fun", " 5 "", 2017 ", "Russian Paramilitaries Accused of Torture and Beheading in Landmark Legal Case Against Wagner Group", "Syria: NGOs file torture case against Russian Wagner fighters | DW | 15.03.2021", " : " ", "Former Russian mercenary lifts lid on secretive Wagner Group", " " " 400 ", "Russia touts essential role in Syria's advance against IS", "VIDEO: Russian Army intervenes in northern Hama, drives back Al-Qaeda militants", "Islamic State releases video it says shows two Russians captured in Syria", "The Russian captives who may link Syria, Ukraine and the Kremlin's fight against the opposition", "Kremlin distances itself from captured 'Russian soldiers' in Isis propaganda video", "Media: FSB tells family of Russian prisoner captured by ISIS in Syria not to cause stir", "Syria's 'ISIS Hunters' Offer $1 Million for Russian Hostages", 2 Russians Who Refused to Reject Jesus on Camera 'Almost Certainly' Killed by ISIS, , "Video Glorifying Russian Mercenaries in Syria Trends on YouTube", " ", "Syria declares victory over Islamic State in Deir al-Zor", "Isis dealt twin blows with loss of Deir ez-Zor and key Iraq border post", "Syrian Army resumes offensive to expel ISIS from large Deir Ezzor island", "Fears for the lives of about 150 citizens in besieged Hawija Katea of being shelled by the regime forces which started to advance towards it through water bridges", "ISIS mass surrenders large Deir Ezzor island, 250+ terrorists captured", "After an undisclosed agreement, the regime forces imposes their control over Hwyjet Katea' and tens of ISIS members surrender, the fate of about 150 civilians in it is unknown", "Russia negotiating the release of two nationals captured by IS", "+18: Russian-Trained Syrian Unit Eliminates Scores Of ISIS In Black Operation", " "" "" ", "Private military companies: Moscow's other army in Syria", "Russia's Putin stops at Russian military base in Syria", "Moscow-based think tank director: Russia's unexpected military victory in Syria", " ", " - ", "The clashes continue in the besieged circle within 3 provinces between the regime forces and their allies against ISIS The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights", "Syrian Army liberates 80 percent of ISIL's pocket in northeast Hama map", "Islamic State fighters move to Syria's Idlib, clash with factions, sources say", "Syria says rare US strike an effort 'to support terrorism', "U.S. dismisses fears of wider war after deadly Syria clashes", "Diplomats specify who was killed by an American strike ( , )", "Here's What We Know About The US Airstrikes That Killed Russian Fighters In Syria", "US-led coalition strikes kill pro-regime forces in Syria", "U.S. Airstrikes Kill 100 Russian and Syrian Fighters, Reports Say", , Wagner's failed attack on US forces in Syria led by former Russian Marine officer, "Pro-gov't ISIS Hunters release official statement after US airstrikes in Deir Ezzor". [52] At the end of that month, during an ISIL counter-offensive in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, two Wagner PMCs were captured by the militants. [2] Contrary to what was widely reported at the time, Der Spiegel later reported that according to witnesses, no Russian mercenaries were part of this formation. INDICTMENT: The Grand Jury for the District of Columbia charges: , Wagner's failed attack on US forces in Syria 'led by former Russian Marine officer', polygraph.info (3 October 2019) Russian News Accidentally Reveals Evidence of PMC Wagner in CAR, " ", "U.S. Airstrikes Kill 100 Russian and Syrian Fighters, Reports Say", "Pentagon Says U.S. Was Told No Russians Involved In Syria Attack", Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White in the Pentagon: Briefing Room: Press Operations: Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White, Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, "The Lion and The Eagle: The Syrian Arab Army's Destruction and Rebirth", "Struggle Between Russia, Iran For Control Over Syria's Centers Of Power", "Assad Appoints Pro-Russia General as Chief of Staff", "Syria says rare US strike an effort 'to support terrorism', Fifteen Russian security staff killed in Syria explosion: The incident at a weapons depot follows the reported deaths of scores of Russian mercenaries in a US-led coalition attack last week, " . [50][64] Irek Murtazin of Novaya Gazeta and analyst Yury Barmin speculated that the Russian Ministry of Defence may have wittingly let the Wagner unit find itself in harm's way.
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