Putin will try to take revenge for fall of Assad's regime: Zelenskyy addresses partners
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to seek revenge for the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. Putin and Assad are accomplices in violence, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Telegram post.
The head of the Ukrainian state drew attention to the fact that today, December 10, on Human Rights Day, horrific photos from Syrian prisons and torture chambers are being shared online. These were revealed after Assad fled the country.
Photo: prisons and torture chambers in Syria (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: prisons and torture chambers in Syria (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: prisons and torture chambers in Syria (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
"The Assad regime has survived for decades solely through violence. And this is the nature of all regimes that Putin supports," emphasized Zelenskyy.
He reminded that such prisons and torture chambers were present in every Ukrainian settlement occupied by Russian soldiers.
"Russia is a prison state that can hold onto stolen land only through prisons and torture chambers that it places there," the president added.
As Zelenskyy stressed, since the start of the Russian occupation, "repression and torture always follow the tanks." Specifically, this happened in Crimea in 2014, when Russia carried out repressions against Crimean Tatars. Since 2022, the atrocities have increased in scale and brutality.
"Assad and Putin are not just vassal and suzerain. They are accomplices in violence. Dictators like Assad cannot survive without dictators like Putin. And Putin will try to avenge Assad's downfall," the head of state noted.
According to him, the world needs unity and strength to confront such regimes that only sow humiliation and leave behind suffering, pain, and ruins.
"By helping Ukraine fight against Russian dictatorship, the international community is helping many other regions of the world restore security and achieve protection from violence," the president wrote.
He clarified that for the horrific atrocities and human rights violations, Putin and Assad must be punished.
Fall of Assad's regime
The regime in Syria was "friendly" to Moscow. In particular, in exchange for Russian assistance in maintaining control over Syria, Assad allowed Russia to establish military bases on his country's territory.
However, recently, Russia was ultimately unable to help Assad win the war against the rebels.
For a detailed account of the events in Syria, see the material by RBC-Ukraine.
