Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, in an interview to Israeli Media ahead of his official visit to the Jewish state, said that thousands of Russians have been fighting in Syria in anti-government ranks, issuing a warning of possible attacks by those militants, when they return home.
“I think you know that thousands of Russian citizens and individuals from other post-Soviet republics are taking part (in fighting) for the Islamic State and other terrorist extremist groups in Syria, as in some other countries in the region.” / These people come back from these ‘trips’ completely brainwashed, they return as professional murderers and terrorists. And we are not interested in them staging something similar in Russia after their fighting stints in Syria expire. We have already experienced this, including in the context of the Caucasus war in the 1990s. So our goals is that they stay there. This is first. Second, the Syrian government appealed to our leaders to provide it with military support in restoring order,” said Medvedev.
Russia, alongside the Islamic Republic of Iran and Shi’ite militias, continue to support the Syrian army that is engaged in battles across the war-torn country with rebels and Jihadists. The focal point of fighting in Syria is in the northern city of Aleppo, where government forces are embroiled in a major offensive to retake rebel-held eastern Aleppo from Western-backed rebels that are fighting alongside Al-Qaeda linked jihadists.