Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for foreign volunteers to be able to fight against Ukrainian forces.

Speaking at a Russian security council meeting, he said those who wanted to volunteer to fight with Russia-backed forces should be allowed to.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East ready to fight alongside Russia-backed forces.

US officials said these could include Syrians skilled in urban combat.

Moscow is a long-standing ally of Syria and Mr Putin has been a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war.

"If you see that there are these people who want of their own accord, not for money, to come to help the people living in Donbas, then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone," Mr Putin told his defence minister.

Mr Shoigu also proposed handing over captured Western anti-tank missile systems to Russian-backed rebel fighters in the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region.

"Please do this," Mr Putin said.

The televised security council meeting move came as Russian forces in Ukraine began attacking new targets in different areas of the country:

An airfield and jet engine factory were targeted in Lutsk, in the north-west
Explosions also hit airfields at Ivano-Frankivsk, in the south-west, according to Russian defence officials
In Dnipro, a major stronghold in central eastern Ukraine, one person was reported dead in air strikes
According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials have told the paper that Russia has recently been recruiting fighters from Syria, hoping their expertise in urban warfare can help take Kyiv and deal a devastating blow to the Ukraine government.

At the same time, US private security firms have been seeking to recruit former soldiers to help evacuate people from Ukraine.

Foreign fighters, including former and current British army personnel, have also been arriving in Ukraine to fight for the government in Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said recently that 16,000 foreigners had volunteered for the cause, part of what he called an "international legion".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60705486?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bbbc.news.twitter%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom2=twitter&at_custom4=ADFC2818-A121-11EC-A607-18B54744363C&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom3=%40BBCWorld

This War Might Last Longer Than We’d Expect.

sighs

Ukrainians are still at the receiving end... Their country is still being used as a playground for testing different missiles. Ukraine president need to understand the level of infrastructural and economy damages going on under his watch. Lives are going on daily basis. Call Putin and end this shit

I can't believe that Russia can request for a volunteer to fight ordinary Ukraine. nawao

Putin is Putting Russian integrity in danger

Can you imagine for a seconds, America making such comment for a small country like Ukraine?

Fake news as and western propaganda from BBC that never reported Biafran genocide
Spitss.

Putin is a Chessmaster, these are all Strategies

They can take some Boko Haram boys with them too to join their middle Eastern brothers enroute Russia.

chopnaira:
They can take some Boko Haram boys with them too to join their middle Eastern brothers enroute Russia.

Those Bokoharams better join the Russia with their suicide bombing talent instead of allowing our heartless Politicians to use them and give them peanuts to commit crimes.

that means truly Russia forces are not finding it easy