Syrian Forces And Russian Mercenaries Suffer Heavy Losses In The Battle For The Eastern Syrian Province Of Deir el-Sour

A man identifies himself as "Zabolotny Roman" (R) and his companion as "Tsurkanov Gregory" (L), two Russian soldiers allegedly captured by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor in this video credited to ISIS's Amaq news agency. Russia previously denied any of its troops were captured. Social Media

Eurasia Daily Monitor/Jamestown: Russian Mercenaries Fight and Die in Botched Operation in Syria

The advance into the oil and natural gas–rich northeastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and supported by Russian bombing sorties has been heralded by the Kremlin as “a very important strategic victory.” The besieged provincial capital of Deir el-Zour was relieved by September 5. Russian sappers built a 210-meter floating bridge over the Euphrates, and pro-al-Assad forces established a bridgehead on the north side of the river in an apparent attempt to capture oil and natural gas fields before they could be occupied by elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF—a militia alliance, including Arab and Kurdish fighters, backed by the United States). SDF fighters, together with US Special Forces moved into Deir el-Zour province following the left (northern) bank of the Euphrates, while pro-al-Assad forces, supported by the Russians, were moving in the same direction following the right (southern) bank of the river. Clearing out the Islamic State (IS) and taking over the entire province of Deir el-Zour is seen in Moscow as an essential step on the way to full victory—restoring the rule of the al-Assad government over the entire country (see EDM, September 28).

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WNU Editor: There is little (if any) coverage on the heavy loss of life that Syrian and Russian forces are experiencing in the battle for the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Sour. But we do get some signs on how difficult the battle is when "Russia soldiers" are capture .... Kremlin distances itself from captured ‘Russian soldiers’ shown in Isis propaganda video (The Independent). More here .... ISIS Releases Video of Captured Russian Soldiers That Moscow Denies Losing in Syria (Newsweek). Russian social media .... specifically military forums .... have also been reporting on the loss of life by Russians in Syria. Their reporting includes Russian contractors as well as Russian military forces .... and there has been a spike in the past month on Russian casualties.