Twenty-four Syrian regime troops travel to Russia for medical treatment

Twenty-four wounded fighters from the Syrian regime’s army and allied militias have arrived in Russia to receive medical treatment, a pro-government medical organisation announced on Wednesday.

Jarih Al-Watan ("Wounded of the Nation") said in a statement that "24 wounded from the army and affiliated forces, who were injured in war operations to different degrees, arrived in Russia to undergo medical operations".

They will be treated at the S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, according to the statement.

The wounded fighters will receive treatment in "various specialisations" including "orthopaedics, neurology, ophthalmology, maxillofacial surgery, and general surgery" according to the statement.

The arrival of the fighters in Russia happened "in the context of the ongoing cooperation between the Syrian and Russian sides in the military and medical fields", the statement said.

The fighters were sent to Russia “after a request from the Syrian Defence Ministry to its Russian counterpart to follow up the treatment of dozens of wounded from military operations who were seriously wounded and received treatment at Syrian military hospitals”.

The Jarih Al-Watan organisation is affiliated with the Syria Development Trust, a controversial non-profit organisation run by Asma Al-Assad, the influential wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In recent weeks, Syrian regime forces have recently carried out brutal assaults on rebel-held Idlib province and the besieged southern city of Daraa, where civilians are running out of essentials such as flour and water.

Regime soldiers were reportedly killed and injured by rebels on Tuesday during an attempted assault by rebels in Daraa.

Russia is a key backer of the regime and carries out airstrikes on civilian areas in rebel-held territory in coordination with the regime. It has also been involved in training, arming, and organising sections of the Syrian military.

Jarih Al-Watan said that Russian medical professionals had recently examined over 100 wounded fighters and chosen which ones to treat at the St. Petersburg academy saying that they suffered from "difficult and medically complicated" conditions.

Many soldiers who were wounded fighting for the Syrian regime have not received adequate treatment, often having to live permanently with their injuries.

Syria’s economic crisis, which has left nearly 80 percent of the population in poverty, has contributed to a lack of adequate medical services.

More than 500,000 people have been killed and many more wounded in the Syrian conflict, most of them as a result of regime bombardment of civilian areas.