The Syrian rebels who swept to power in early December 2024 received drones and other support from Ukrainian intelligence operatives who sought to undermine Russia and its Syrian allies, according to sources familiar with Ukrainian military activities abroad.
As reported by The Washington Post, Ukrainian military intelligence sent about 20 experienced drone operators and about 150 first-person-view drones to the rebel headquarters in Idlib, Syria, four to five weeks ago to help Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the leading rebel group based there, the knowledgeable sources said.
The aid from Kyiv played only a modest role in overthrowing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Western intelligence sources believe. But it was notable as part of a broader Ukrainian effort to strike covertly at Russian operations in the Middle East, Africa and inside Russia itself.
Ukraine’s covert assistance program in Syria has been an open secret, though senior Biden administration officials said repeatedly in answer to the media outlet that they weren’t aware of it. Ukraine’s motivation to act in such a way comes from the fact that it faces a Russian onslaught closer to home. Therefore, Ukrainian intelligence has looked for other fronts where it can bloody Russia’s nose and undermine its clients.
The Syrian connection
The Ukrainians have advertised their intentions, as the Ukrainian military intelligence service in June of this year noted to Ukrainian media that “since the beginning of the year, the [Syrian] rebels, supported by Ukrainian operatives, have inflicted numerous strikes on Russian military facilities represented in the region.”
That story, posted online, included a link to video footage that showed attacks on a stone-ribbed bunker, a white van and other targets that it said had been struck by rebels inside Syria. The paper said that the Syria operation was conducted by a special unit known as “Khimik” within the Ukrainian military intelligence, “in collaboration with the Syrian opposition.”
Russian officials have been complaining for months about the Ukrainian paramilitary effort in Syria. Alexander Lavrentyev, Russia’s special representative for Syria, said in a November interview with TASS, “We do indeed have information that Ukrainian specialists from (…) are on the territory of Idlib.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had made a similar claim in September about “Ukrainian intelligence emissaries” in Idlib. He claimed they were conducting “dirty operations,” according to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, which asserted that Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian military intelligence, had been in touch personally with HTS.
Before the HTS offensive toppled Assad, Russian officials had asserted that Ukraine’s link with the rebel group was an attempt to recruit Syrian fighters for its war against the Kremlin. A September report in an online site called the Cradle alleged that Ukraine had offered 75 unmanned aerial vehicles in a “drones-for-fighters” deal with HTS. But there isn’t any independent evidence to back this Russian claim.
Related:
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- Russia’s African presence at risk from potential Syria naval base loss, expert says
- Ukraine urges Syria’s new leadership to sever ties with Moscow as Assad’s regime collapses
