US airstrike on ISIS Hunters, February 7, 2018

Russian losses

 * ''See also discussion; PMC Wagner. Coalition estimate of total pro-Assad forces losses is 100 killed. First claim of Russian losses is made by Strelkov.


 * In Syria, Russian bad faith turns fatal - David Ignatus, Washington Post, February 9, 2018
 * Источник: США нанесли удар по российской ЧВК «Вагнера» (Source: US attacked the Russian PMC "Wagner") - Vzgliad, February 9, 2018
 * Появились данные об огромных потерях «вагнеровцев» под ударом США в Сирии (Many dead: new information about the massive attack of the United States and the Kurds on the positions of Russian PMCs) - Vzgliad, February 10, 2018
 * Много погибших: опубликована информация о массированном ударе США и курдов по позициям российских ЧВК - Rusnext, February 10, 2018
 * US airstrike in Syria kills former defender of Donbass - RIA via Fort Russ, February 12, 2018
 * CIT назвала имена бойцов «ЧВК Вагнера», погибших при авиаударе коалиции (CIT named the fighters of "PMC Wagner", who died in the air strike coalition) - Kommersant, February 12, 2018
 * U.S. Strikes Killed Scores of Russia Fighters in Syria, Sources Say - Bloomberg, February 13, 2018
 * US Strikes Kill 100 Russian Fighters In Syria - ZeroHedge, February 13, 2018
 * More than 640 Russian mercenary soldiers killed in Syria - Daily Mail, February 13, 2018
 * A massive battle between US and Syrian pro-regime forces reportedly killed several Russians - Alex Lockie, Business Insider, February 13, 2018
 * Шаманов назвал недостоверными данные о гибели большого количества россиян в Дейр-эз-Зоре - TASS, February 14, 2018
 * (Shamanov called data on the deaths of a large number of Russians in Deir ez Zor as unreliable) MP Vladimir Shamanov is the Duma defense committee chair
 * There are lots of signs that someone is deliberately exaggerating the picture... Detailed verification of information is on-going. But there is unfortunately no reliable, deserving information [so far].
 * Neither Kremlin nor Pentagon confirm reports of alleged Russian losses to US strike in Syria - RT, February 14, 2018
 * Did the US knowingly strike Russian private military contractors in Syria? - Ruposters via Fort Russ, February 14, 2018
 * Правда о группе Вагнера. Как все происходило на самом деле (The truth about the Wagner group. How it all happened in reality) - Chervonts, February 14, 2018
 * Ex-Donbass opolchenie, based on his sources contacted at his initiative. Estimates the number of PMC killed standing now at over 40, approaching 50, and some 1.5 times more wounded
 * Diplomat slams reports on numerous Russian deaths in Syria as terrorist-produced fake news - TASS, February 15, 2018
 * "Кто здесь врать?"-Khrustalik, February 15, 2018, also on Facebook, as claimed:
 *  "According to my data as of today, irrevocable losses amounted to: 217 people - 5 SHO (штурмовой отряд-assault squad), 10 people - 2 SHO, 94 people "Spring" a.k.a "Carpathians". I have no figures how many died in the artillery division and the armored group"  (but just one tank returned to the crossing)."As for the so-called "ISIS Hunters", my source barely heard about them" ( слышал о них только краем уха. )
 * (He does not explain the method, it may be the number of those not heard back by himself and the friends after the attack)
 * Жириновский заявил о сотнях погибших в Сирии «вагнеровцев» (MP Zhirinovsky said there were hundreds of dead 'Wagner' fighters in Syria) -Vzgliad, February 16, 2018
 * Zhirinovsky: ''Now in Syria, a large group died. It's that, there are widows. It does not matter that they were not official servicemen - they are ours, Russian men. And 300 families were left without a father, without a husband
 * Сафари номер шесть, Сафари номер шесть, окончание - Бойцовый кот Мурз (kenigtiger), February 16, 2018
 * In this long post, the author says that (1) Wagner does exist, from his own experience in Donbass (2) his sources earlier gave him number of Russian losses at 150+, and he has no further updates
 * Что-то здесь не так...СОВСЕМ НЕ ТАК (Something is wrong here...VERY WRONG)-Soldier of Fortune VK (claims a connection, quoted by el Murid, otherwise not known here), February 17, 2018
 * Estimates losses at about 300. Says that air cover was supposed to be there, and it is unknown why it was not
 * Коротко и емко: поставлена точка в спорах о потерях под Дейр-Эз-Зором 7—8 февраля(Brief and capacious: the final word in the dispute over the losses near Deir Ez-Zor on February 7-8) -Rusnext and several other sources with the identical quote, February 18, 2018
 * Andrey Troshev (veterans' union leader linked with 'Wagner' leadership) is quoted saying that 14 were killed (in colorful, full of expletives language).
 * Confirmed: Dozens of Russians injured in US airstrike in Syria - RIA Novosti via Fort Russ, February 20, 2018

Interviews

 * СОЛДАТСКАЯ ПРАВДА. "ПОСЛЕДНИЙ БОЙ "ЧВК ВАГНЕРА" (Soldier's pravda/truth, the last battle of PMC "Wagner") - Hrustalik, Livejournal, February 14, 2018 - Interview with a participant of the battle on February 7, 2018 near Khsham (audio on YouTube),
 * Interview with a Russian who was wounded in the coalition air strike near Khsham on February 7, 2018 (after crossing Euphrates on February 3). He tells that 3 Wagner detachments participated (normally 350 men each, but estimate for this battle is less, with some 700 in total). One of detachments, 'Karpaty', formerly 'Vesna', from L/DPR. There could be some Syrians but he was not in contact with any. All their radio conversations were in Russian (so he believes it is unlikely that it's not known who they were). They could be under Syrian flags (he mentions they were given flags, but unclear whether in this battle or at some time previously).


 * «Куда их послали и почему? Как свиней отправили на убой», Znak, February 13, 2018 (partial German translation)
 * Interview with the widow and the ataman of one of three killed Cossacks from Asbest, Stanislaw Matwejew (German transcription). Second name Igor Kossoturow, third not yet known. No military background, volunteered in Donbass in 2015/2016, then returned and later went to Syria, liberated oil fields from ISIS when it happened (say the people at home), all information about their deaths and circumstances comes through contacts in Donbass. German translation seems to be only partial, so maybe more interesting info in the original. -- CE (talk) 16:55, 17 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Stanislav Matveev, Igor Kosoturov. Deaths, confirmed by a local MP, are among those five confirmed quickly (entered in discussion session). Stanislav's widow was interviewed, shown a videogame video, we link it on top of the page. Ataman says that in the first day he had information that 30 were killed, by 11 of February it was said that 217 were killed (this number is the same Khrustalik gives for losses of the 5th squad). But among those he knew, it was those two and one more man being verified. He was told that (those) bodies were already delivered to St. Petersburg. He believes that they first met/were recruited by Wagner people while training in Rostov. (Wagner training base is said to be Mol'kino, further south near Krasnodar). He does not know about financial/insurance part of this work. He first says that they were guarding a plant, and later that they were liberating plants, which were then handled to Syrians to guard--Resup (talk) 18:21, 17 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Oleg Tsarev via Rusvesna, February 17, 2018
 * I have lost friends in Syria. I did not want to write about it. There is a war, and I am sure that now there is a war against Russia on all fronts, and during the war it is necessary to talk carefully about the losses. For the same reason, I will not say (no need to ask) how many of them died in that battle. I will not talk about it, and not because I do not know.
 * "В выходные похоронили 15-го". Знакомые бойцов "ЧВК Вагнера" – об их гибели в Сирии ("On the weekend the 15th was buried" Acquaintances of "PMC Wagner"  fighters  - about their deaths in Syria),  Radio Freedom, February 19, 2018
 * Interview with Yevgeny Shabayev, ataman of the Khovrino Cossack society, who personally saw in Khimki hospital eight men wounded in a battle near the village of Khsham, near the town of Deir ez-Zor,including his wounded friend.
 * When 550 people are in a desert at night under fire, not many will survive. According to him(a friend) about two hundred people came alive and unharmed; what is the condition of the remaining ones - he can not say, but it was extremely difficult to survive there. For one simple reason: Helicopter escort, the so-called evacuation, never came, since the "Wagner PMC" does not have these helicopters. Proceeding from all this we can conclude about the dead. Zhirinovsky argues that more than 300 people, Viktor Alksnis says that 334. I believe that they are close to the truth. I have information from different sources and from different regions. So, last weekend, the 15th of those who died under that shelling was buried.
 * (Interview was discussed in Russian sources, in particular the fact that it appeared on Radio Freedom was criticized, this video with Putin characterizing Radio Freedom as an arm of US services recalled).

February 10th attack

 * CNN publishes shots of the US Air Force attack on the Syrian Army and the Wagner PMC (Rusvesna); Several Russians killed in US airstrikes in Syria, friends say and US-led coalition bombs pro-regime tank in Syria - CNN, February 13, 2018
 * A US jet destroyed a Russian-made T-72 battle tank in 'self-defense' in Syria - Alex Lockie, Business Insider, February 13, 2018
 * Video: US-led Coalition Strikes Positions Of Syrian Government Forces In Deir Ezzor Province - South Front, February 13, 2018
 * The U.S. is bombing Syrian government aligned troops in STATIC, DEFENSIVE position. (Tank behind prepared berms.) - Moon of Alabama‏ on Twitter
 * Pro-government tank destroyed in second ‘defensive’ US airstrike in Syria this week - RT, February 14, 2018
 * ''“We detected and saw a tank that took a shot at us,” Harrigan said. “It continued to move, so we again executed self-defense rules of engagement to protect ourselves.”

Analysis

 * ''See also discussion of analysis.

What happened?

 * Syria - U.S. May Have Arranged "Self Defense" Attack On Syrian Government Forces - Moon of Alabama, February 8, 2018
 * Коротко по Сирии. 10.02.2018 (Briefly about Syria) - Colonel Cassad, February 10, 2018
 * “Wagner” Private military company could be a code name for Israel’s black-op - Scott Humor, February 13, 2018
 * U.S. Strikes And ‘Scores’ Of Killed ‘Russian Fighters’ In Syria - South Front, February 14, 2018
 * US strike on pro-government forces in Deir-ez-Zour region on 08.02.2018. Russian media. Part 1 - el_temif_1, February 14, 2018
 * О потерях под Дейр-эз-Зор (About the losses near Deir ez Zor) - chervonec-001, February 15, 2018
 * Russia’s Foreign Ministry: reports of ‘scores of Russians’ killed in Syria are disinformation - Alexander Mercouris, The Duran, February 16, 2018
 * “Wagner” In Syria: Is The Iranian Tail Trying To Wag The Russian-American Dog? - Andrew Korybko, Eurasia Future, February 15, 2018
 * Syria SITREP: Approximate figures of the US airstrike in Syria & lessons learned - The Saker, February 15, 2018

Putin's orders?

 * Putin had to approve Russian attack on US troops - Ralph Peters, New York Post, February 13, 2018
 * Not true, as there was no Russian military attack, but an attack with apparently commercial goals in the interest of a private commercial operator ('отжим', forceful appropriation)--Resup (talk) 11:13, 15 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Risking Major Escalation, Trump Weighs Killing Of Russian Fighters In Syria As Sign Of "Tough Stance" Toward Putin - ZeroHedge, February 21, 2018
 * Russian troll farm financier also backs Russian mercenaries in Syria: Officials - ABC News, February 21, 2018
 * Here The Washington Post makes a number of claims citing unidentified intelligence sources and little else in terms of evidence, in an article written by Ellen Nakashima, Karen DeYoung and Liz Sly, February 22, 2018