FEATURED
Russian-backed Rebel Fighters Move In As Putin Seeks Foreign Volunteers
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for foreign volunteers to be able to fight against Ukrainian forces.
Speaking at a Russian security council meeting, he said those who wanted to volunteer to fight with Russia-backed forces should be allowed to.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East ready to fight alongside Russia-backed forces.
US officials said these could include Syrians skilled in urban combat.
Moscow is a long-standing ally of Syria and Mr Putin has been a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s civil war.
“If you see that there are these people who want of their own accord, not for money, to come to help the people living in Donbas, then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone,” Mr Putin told his defence minister.
Mr Shoigu also proposed handing over captured Western anti-tank missile systems to Russian-backed rebel fighters in the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region.
“Please do this,” Mr Putin said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, responding in a video message, said “thugs from Syria” would be coming to kill people “in a foreign land”.
Foreign fighters, including former and current British army personnel, have also been arriving in Ukraine to fight for the government in Kyiv.
Mr Zelensky said recently that 16,000 foreigners had volunteered for the cause, part of what he called an “international legion”.
(BBC report, excluding headline)
How Ex-power Minister Adelabu Sister, Twin Sons Were Abducted in Ibadan
Omo-Agege: Oborevwori Left PDP for APC Because He Feared a 2027 Showdown
Oriire Abduction: This Is a National Distress — Don’t Politicize It, Says Makinde
Bwala: Tinubu’s Policies Favor Poor Nigerians Most, Not the Rich
Media Partnership Vital to Showcasing Our Oil and Gas Innovations — PTI Principal, Dr. Onoji
Delta: Isoko North Chair Clears ₦2.4m Medical Bills for Injured Students, Hails Edith Okowa at 65
2027: PDP Fires Back at Keyamo, Defends Jonathan’s Presidential Bid
Lagos Police Crack Down on Cult Violence, Arrest 4 Notorious Gang Members in Ojo Raid
UPDATED: INEC Probes Voter Database Breach, Quizzes ICT Personnel
The ‘In-Law’ Factor: Why Governor Oborevwori is Betting Big on Tinubu for 2027
Reno Faults Pastor Adefarasin’s Claim of Nigeria Being a Dead Country
Fayose Defends Tinubu on Security, Alleges Oyo Abductions Could Be Political Blackmail
Tinubu Lauds Navy’s Fight Against Crude Oil Theft, Inaugurates Three Vessels
INEC Boss, Presidency Under Fire Over Alleged Defiance of S’Court-Ordered Warri Ward Delineation
