Syrian arms could bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russian attacks - Defense Express
Illustrative photo: Media learned about the weapons Syria possesses (Getty Images)
The Syrian regime had Bastion supersonic anti-ship missile systems at its disposal, equipped with P-800 Oniks missiles. They received them from Russia back in 2013, Defense Express reports.
According to Defense Express, it would be relevant for Ukraine to receive these complexes, as they could be studied and used to develop new methods of countering Russian missile attacks.
The news agency also reports that the Bashar al-Assad regime's forces had an unspecified number of Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles, Elbrus systems, and Iranian Fateh-110 missiles at their disposal.
In Defense Express's view, Iranian ballistic missiles would also be relevant for Ukraine, at least for study purposes. However, the practicality of deploying Elbrus systems in the Ukrainian Armed Forces is debatable. At the same time, Defense Express believes that the Tochka complexes in Syria could potentially be useful for Ukrainian forces in conducting further missile strikes on Russian occupation targets.
According to media reports, Syria's air defense included at least 20 launchers of the S-300PMU2 system, up to 36 launchers of the S-125-2M Pechora-2M system, an unspecified number of S-200 launchers, as well as Buk and Buk-M2 complexes. These systems would significantly strengthen Ukraine's air defense.
As of the beginning of this year, Syria's artillery arsenal included the 220 mm Uragan and 300 mm Smerch multiple-launch rocket systems, whose ammunition is scarce on the global market.
Syria also had a total of 184 military aircraft. Among them, Ukraine might be interested in MiG-29s, some of which were upgraded to the MiG-29SM variant. Additionally, Syria had four Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters and five Mi-14s, which are likely inoperable but could serve as "donors of spare parts."
Defense Express believes that when considering the practical prospects of obtaining certain types of weaponry, the question is not so much about the condition of the equipment. The primary issue is who in Syria can be negotiated with for the potential acquisition of this equipment and weaponry.
Downfall of Bashar al-Assad's regime
This autumn, large-scale clashes erupted in Syria between rebels of the Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, units of the Syrian National Army, and the forces of dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was supported by Russia and Iran. On December 1, the rebels captured Aleppo, and later Hama.
As al-Jolani mentioned in an interview with CNN, the rebels' goal was to overthrow Assad's regime. Meanwhile, the dictator is now in Moscow.
Reuters reported that Türkiye had prior knowledge of the rebels' plans to overthrow Assad's regime.
