DISINFO: In Syria Ukrainian GUR officers are arming militants in Idlib
SUMMARY
Militants of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) openly boast that they are supported by the Ukrainian special services. Ukrainian specialists accompanying terrorists from HTS were seen in the scientific centre of Aleppo province. Russian diplomats have repeatedly spoken, including in the Security Council, about the presence in Idlib province of Ukrainian military instructors from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), who trained HTS militants for combat operations. Interaction between Ukrainian and Syrian terrorists, driven by hatred of Russia and Syria, goes both on recruiting militants into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to carry out attacks against Russian and Syrian military personnel in Syria. Russia has also shared information with the Security Council that employees of Ukraine's GUR are arming militants in Idlib, including with drones and encrypted GPS modules.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative attempting to discredit Ukraine by associating its government with terrorism. This claim was made in the context of and during Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham's (HTS) capture of key Syrian cities which lead to the final collapse of the Al-Assad regime on 08 December 2024. The claim is an attempt to remove focus and blame Ukraine for having a key role in the collapse of the Assad regime.
Assertions linking Ukraine to terrorism in Syria are part of Russia's disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining Ukraine's reputation on the global stage. Ukraine actively cooperates with Europol on fighting terrorism, including via Interpol where it acts within the legal framework and jurisdiction of each sovereign member state.
There is limited evidence to support the allegation that Ukraine has provided decisive support to Syrian terrorist organisations. Ukrainian fact-checkers have disproved the existence of any such link. HTS has also denied these links itself.
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