A batch from Damascus towards Moscow, and another from the “Hmeimim” base, and numbers after numbers of young Syrians who were tempted by the “polarizer” to fight in Libya and on the Ukrainian fronts for Moscow. These details have almost never ceased to be repeated about the scene of Syria that has been torn apart for two years, and the pace of their disclosure has increased significantly. During the past days.
While news networks and local media always focus their attention on who leads these young men to make a living abroad and who takes them by plane and picks them up in distant lands, the spotlight rarely shines on the “catastrophic” effects, as experts consider them, on the country, society, or even a single family.
The latest news reports were published by the local “Suwayda 24” network, on Thursday, and said, quoting sources, that Russia transported 80 young Syrian men from Damascus International Airport, on Sunday night, to Moscow Airport, subjecting them to training upon arrival and then sending them to the Ukrainian fronts.
The publication of the report came just one day after Ukrainian Intelligence published a list that it said documents 141 names of Syrians who were recruited as mercenaries for Russia. Although the names and their authenticity were not confirmed, the local network indicated, quoting four young men, who said that a large portion of the list of names belonged to “mercenaries who are deployed in Libya.”
The Syrian regime does not comment on such reports, although some of the cases were documented by Russian users on social media sites, and it appears One of them On the Telegram application, a Russian priest welcomes a Syrian fighting in Ukraine.
Other video recordings also documented a number of Syrian young men while they were in Uhud centers Recruitment in Moscow, and others sit in a room while their supervisor repeats questions related to “the Russian citizenship they obtained in exchange for their enlistment.”
‘Deep demographic crisis’
The director of the Al-Sharq Center for Studies, Samir Al-Taqi, believes that what is happening in practice is “emptying Syria of what remains of its youth.”
It is clear that the ongoing unemployment crisis has turned into a “deep demographic crisis, to the point that some areas witnessed the flight of some young people and the killing of others, and now those who remain are being recruited to fight abroad.”
Al-Taqi points out that the Syrian family is currently living in a state of sagging and complete demographic collapse, meaning a reversal in the proportions related to the number of people under the age of 24, who usually constitute more than 45 percent.
He added to Al-Hurra website that the recruitment processes taking place and the exit of young men are having disastrous effects not only on a societal level, but also on what remains of the local economy.
The departure of young people abroad at a later stage may lead to a state of economic collapse, especially since those who remain in the country are elderly people who prefer to remain only.
On the other hand, Al-Taqi explains that “the depletion of the youth group will, at a later stage, push women to enter the labor market and force the family to migrate towards the capital, Damascus.”
Recruitment of Syrians abroad is always linked to financial temptations, and most reports indicate that local “recruiters” linked to security companies offer young men sums of money in dollars.
In the case of the Russian-Ukrainian war, an additional element emerges in terms of “temptation”, which is the promise of obtaining Russian citizenship.
Rima Fulaihan, a human rights activist and psychological counselor, believes that “the interactions between international parties have exceeded the level of a proxy war inside Syria to attract the recruitment of young Syrians into wars outside the borders.”
She told Al-Hurra website that what is happening is “a continuation of plunging Syrian youth into the cycle of violence,” and that “the impact will be dangerous because the violence that these young people witness by participating in these wars will often generate psychological trauma.”
“Trauma” (psychological trauma) may be transmitted across generations, and may extend for decades to come in terms of its impact on the young people themselves and on their families and children in the future, according to Fuleihan.
She adds that the catastrophic phenomenon of conscription would “increase the state of diaspora that society and within one family are suffering from.”
“The family misses these children who are sacrificed on the altar of others as a sacrifice for their senseless wars that concern the Syrians nothing,” according to the spokeswoman herself.
“Two-way militarization”
Although “recruitment” in Syria is at the forefront at the present time and two years ago in foreign arenas, similar operations have been quietly taking place for years, but for the benefit of militias loyal to the regime and within its military establishment as well.
After many young men intended to join the militias to a greater extent than in the official army for considerations related to financial incentives or related to the quality of service, the Syrian regime’s Ministry of Defense announced several times during the past two months volunteer offers with benefits comparable to what the “auxiliary forces” offer.
Experts believe that the above reflects clear behavior adopted by the Syrian regime in order to “militarize society,” whether internally or externally.
Mohsen Al-Mustafa, a researcher specializing in civil-military relations at the Omran Center, explains that “young people in Syria have been pushed towards militarization since the beginning of the revolution, especially by the regime.”
Financial concerns have always been one of the reasons for joining the military or militias.
Later, with the decline in the level of military operations in conjunction with a major collapse in the exchange rate, it was noted that “the trend towards volunteering for foreign parties, and Libya was the first destination, and later Russia after its invasion of Ukraine,” according to what Mustafa says to the “Al-Hurra” website.
He adds that “the transformation of military service into a profession for a large segment of Syrians will lead to problems at the development level,” in addition to other problems in a number of services such as health, education, and others, as well as at the social level, as it will result in the disintegration of families, as he described it.
Why this shift?
The Syrian governorates under the regime’s control have been experiencing a living disaster for years, and even now the regime’s government is still gradually raising the prices of goods that citizens need on a daily basis, the latest of which is bread.
In northern Syria, where the opposition factions control, the reality is not much different, as the population there, the majority of whom are displaced and displaced, live in difficult conditions, in light of the continued bombing and the absence of any signs of stopping the war.
In the areas subject to the regime, militarization is considered the destination of many because it does not require high levels of education, as researcher Mustafa explains.
For example, anyone who has a second certificate is accepted to volunteer in the official military institution for the officer corps, regardless of his grades, in addition to other conditions.
The above contradicts what an officer should be, who is supposed to be well-versed in mathematics, physics and other sciences, as the researcher explains.
He continues: “Recruitment takes place inside and outside Syria, and many prefer abroad because of the high financial return and perhaps better conditions of service, with different levels of danger.”
The regime does not oppose the operation, as it benefits from it in any case, and “abroad it will not significantly affect the level of human resources needed for it in the military institution,” according to Mustafa.
“A state of general collapse”
The issue of recruiting Syrians to fight in Ukraine is not new, as the media previously published a lot about it between March and April 2022, just one month after Russia began its war against Kiev.
It is also not limited to regime areas, although it is currently witnessing greater popularity, as human rights networks have previously documented recruitment operations led by opposition factions to Libya and Azerbaijan.
The Syrian writer and political activist, Hassan Al-Nifi, believes that “the issue of recruiting Syrians outside their geographical borders is no longer just an out-of-the-ordinary phenomenon, but has turned into a very complex problem.”
Al-Nifi refers to 2015, i.e. the date of the Russian intervention in Syria, and tells the “Al-Hurra” website that “this year was the foundation for the loss of national decision-making and the division of the country into areas of influence and de facto powers,” and that from here the reasons for what is happening now must be read.
The phenomenon of recruitment is primarily linked to political roots, as the Syrian writer believes, but its effects and repercussions extend to the social and economic aspects.
He says: “Those who rush to fight in Azerbaijan and other regions, as well as those who fight in the ranks of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) or with the Iranian militias and to Ukraine from the regime’s areas, go out of poverty.”
“They are young people who are under the legal age and subject to difficult living conditions, and the idea that they are the product of poor, miserable social environments cannot be ignored,” Al-Nifi points out.
He added, “These people did not have mercy on the war machine, which made them prey to foreign armies that share influence in Syria.”
Director of Al-Sharq Studies, Samir Al-Taqi, believes that those who go to fight abroad, including those in Ukraine, “will have a weak possibility of returning,” since the Russian side puts them directly on the battle fronts, unlike members of the Special Forces.
He emphasizes the idea related to “the presence of a complete demographic and population collapse in Syria, as well as economic, in the absence of any sign of the return of youth, which will increase the state of general collapse not on the state and authority, but on all Syrian human existence.”
It is difficult to find a solution to the existing problem, according to writer and political activist Hassan Al-Nifi, without looking at the roots.
He says: “If no real change occurs in Syria and sovereignty returns to its people, I think the problem will continue to worsen,” referring to the “disastrous” phenomenon of recruitment.
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2024-02-17 02:09:29
