How Russian forces shape fight in Syria
Special units take active role at tactical level
The troops that recaptured Palmyra, Syria, from ISIL included Syrian, Iranian and Hezbollah forces.
But there was another group that contributed to the victory: Russia’s elite special forces, also known as Spetsnaz.
Russian troops are nothing new to the Syrian ground war. Since their arrival in September, the Russians have used naval infantry to secure a key port in Tartus and the perimeter of an airfield in Latakia. But Russian special forces operating on the front — aside from a small number of artillery and tank units — have remained mostly out of the public eye.
With the seizure of Palmyra, though, that is no longer the case. Russian officials announced Monday that Palmyra was “liberated with participation of Spetsnaz and military advisers.” The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant took Palmyra in May and shortly after destroyed a number of the city’s historic sites.
Russian special forces have come to the forefront of the Syria narrative because the battle for Palmyra plays directly into the anti-ISIL rhetoric that Russia used as a pretence to initially intervene, said Chris Kozak, a research analyst at the Institute of the Study of War.
Involvement of Russian special forces in Palmyra “looks great,” Kozak said. “Whereas their involvement against opposition groups in Aleppo or Latakia doesn’t fit the narrative.”
It is unclear exactly when Russian special forces began operating in Syria, but troops had long helped advise and train Syrian forces. According to Michael Kofman, an analyst at CNA who focuses on Russian military operations, Russia operates several special forces units in Syria — Zaslon, KSO and detachments of reconnaissance teams.
Part of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Zaslon is a secretive detachment often responsible for security in high-threat areas. KSO is Russia’s equivalent to the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command and was formed within the past few years.
“Russian special forces are doing a lot of the targeting for Russian airstrikes and a lot of advising for the Syrians,” Kofman said. They provide most of the intelligence on the ground for Russian air power and help run Syrian operations.
Unlike the majority of U.S. special forces that are advising Iraqi and Syrian forces from behind the lines at the battalion and brigade levels, Russian special forces appear to be participating in combat alongside Syrian troops at the tactical level.
The presence of Russian special forces and advisers on the front line has helped Syrian troops and President Bashar Assad’s allies consolidate gains and take ground across the country. Russian military advisers on the ground, despite the hype surrounding the detachment of Russian aircraft in the country, are the glue that is helping the Syrians fight as a much more capable army.
Russia has played a significant role in Assad’s attempts to reverse almost half a decade of losses to opposition groups, the al-Qaida-related Nusra Front and ISIL. Yet in recent months, Iranian troops, Hezbollah forces and a slew of militias have also bolstered the fledgling Syrian army.
Russia’s involvement in ground operations has not been without cost. Just days before Russia’s announcement that Spetsnaz forces helped liberate Palmyra, the Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed Russian official who said a special forces soldier died “heroically,” after calling airstrikes on to his own position after he was surrounded by ISIL. Following the announcement of the soldier’s death, the story went viral.
Much like its intervention in Ukraine, Russia has been slow to announce the deaths of any of troops in Syria — usually acknowledging them months after they occurred. To date, Russia has acknowledged the deaths of seven Russian service members in Syria. According to Kofman, Russia has been more open to announcing deaths in the fight for Palmyra. The deaths, he said, reinforce the image that Russia is primarily operating in Syria to defeat ISIL.
Still, there is a limit to the openness. The Russian government has not disclosed the number of casualties in the fight to retake Palmyra.
In recent weeks, ISIL claimed to have killed a number of Russian special forces soldiers. In one instance, a news agency associated with the extremist group posted what appeared to be the gear of a Russian soldier. The gear featured a number of items, including an advanced Russian mine.
ISIL also posted pictures supposedly from that soldier’s phone, showing images of the dead soldier and members of his unit. It is unclear whether the equipment and the photos are from the same soldier, as some reports indicate the soldiers from the unit pictured on the phone belong to a contracting group, not Russian special forces.