Ukrainian Special Forces Attack Russian Outpost in Syria: War Continues on Idlib-Aleppo Front

On September 15 Ukrainian special forces from the Main Directorate of Intelligence’s Khimik Group reportedly launched an attack on a Russian military facility on the southeastern outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. According to Western sources, the attack saw powerful explosion followed by secondary detonations causing serious damage to the site. Aleppo has long been on the frontier of attacks from jihadist groups due to its close proximity to the Turkish border, with Turkey being the primary state sponsor of Islamist anti government militants in the country and placing the Syrian governate of Idlib, currently run by the Al Qaeda affiliated Al Nusra Front, under its protection. Ukraine has escalated efforts to provide armaments and training to Islamist groups targeting Russian forces, and alongside Turkey has for several months deployed special forces to northwestern Syria specifically to support militant groups based there. 

The Ukrainian attack comes as part of a broader trend of Ukrainian forces targeting Russian forces abroad, and follows an attack on Russian Wagner Group contractors and Malian government forces on July 26 in Mali, in which local Islamist militias received significant Ukrainian support.  The Ukrainian attack notably comes just days after an Israeli special forces assault reportedly destroyed an Iranian base also in Syria, with Russia and Iran having been the primary state actors that maintain military presences in the country. Russia established a large military presence from late 2015 following an invitation from the Syrian government to support counterinsurgency efforts, at a time when Islamist militias were receiving considerable support from the Western world, and Western regional security partners namely Israel, Qatar and Turkey.