13.09.2015 - 0:25

Stories often appear in the media about how people, for one reason or another, go to fight in the ranks of ISIS. At the same time, Russians know almost nothing about those who are fighting the 21st century plague in their homes.

We spoke with Michel Mizah, a 25-year-old citizen of Russia and Syria, who returned a few days ago from Damascus, where he fought in the ranks of the pro-government armed group Shabiha.

He talked about what Syrians think about this war, their President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic State and the future.

- Why did you decide to go to Syria?

My father is from Syria, and there are many relatives left there with whom we communicate almost every day; consider us to live in two countries. We are Christians. A second cousin is fighting in the ranks of the Syrian army; his uncle and aunt, being civilians, died in 2012 in the Qalamun region.

Therefore, when I watch the news, I am tormented by some remorse... I have wanted to go there for three years, but something always got in the way - either my wife or work. Only now the stars have aligned and I have a free window.

- And when the Arab Spring just began, how did your family feel about it?

At first, the family treated the protesters with sympathy, but then it turned out that an irreconcilable part of the secular opposition defended the interests of Turkey and the Arab monarchies. Plus, the prospects for the Islamization of the protest were visible to many and feared.

Probably like everyone else normal people, our family, all my friends and acquaintances in Syria have a sharply negative attitude towards Wahhabis and, in general, towards any religious extremism.

In Syria, the war is not with Assad, but with civilization as such. ISIS takes people into slavery, crucifies them on crosses, imposes medieval taxes on Christians, and kills Shiites and Alawites on the spot...

Do you want to live according to Sharia, so that you could be killed for a cigarette and alcohol, and beaten with sticks in the city square for wearing skinny jeans? Nobody wants this!

And we know that this will happen if Damascus falls. This is already the case in Raqqa, the locals themselves talk about it. There are still buses between us, so we are very aware of the alternative to Assad.

I met a girl in Damascus, she is only 20 years old, she spent the last three months in slavery from ISIS. One of their commanders bought her and made her his concubine, and when she died, the girl was “inherited” to his successor... Her relatives were miraculously able to buy her back.

- Did you even know where you were going, was someone waiting for you there?

Of course, about two months before departure, through friends of my relatives, I contacted my future detachment commander in the militia adjacent to the army.

This is the same Shabiha that the UN accused in 2012 of crimes against humanity. In general, for two months I told him about myself: who I am, what I can do, why I want to come, and so on... And in response, he explained what awaits me, what I will do, and so on.

I would also join the army, but my turn for mobilization comes last, since I am the only breadwinner in the family, and you can’t go there for a week. My brother has been there for three years now, and he can’t even see his relatives, since there is no respite at all at the front.

- Are only Syrians included in the militia or is it an international brigade?

They come from Lebanon and Iran because they understand that if Syria falls, they will be next. They supply us with military advisers and weapons... The entire “Shiite axis of evil” is for us!

I didn’t see any fighters from the rest of the world... It seemed to me that the Syrian Embassy in Russia does not approve of such topics. Perhaps this is due to the rumors that are circulating around the so-called “Russian Legion”, which several years ago was hired by some St. Petersburg private security company to fight for Assad. But when they arrived in Damascus, the Russian side was indignant, the “legionnaires” were returned to their homeland and a couple of criminal cases were opened for mercenarism.

In general, you can legally fight for Syria only if you have Syrian citizenship or some kind of intergovernmental agreement. But the Islamists have a real international on their side - they are coming to us from everywhere.

- How did Damascus meet you?

I arrived in international Airport Damascus, and the first thing I saw was a large number of soldiers and militias. But civilian life continues, in the city center people walk the streets without fear, despite periodic mortar attacks.

In Christian areas the situation is a little more complicated, but there are shops there too. My squad was based right next to them, on the northeastern outskirts of Damascus, opposite the opposition district of Duma, which is entirely occupied by Islamists. It has always been populated by religious radicals, so no one was surprised when it turned out to be a hotbed of militants.

True, by the time I arrived, the area had long been under siege, and the enemy had no way to escape, so it was relatively easy for me there, compared to what was happening in northern Syria...

When they say “militia”, you immediately imagine a motley crowd, poorly dressed and armed. Is “Shabiha” similar to this?

Of course not. On the very first day I was given standard army ammunition, given instructions and sent to my positions. They also feed you to your heart’s content, well, if you can eat, of course, because you don’t have time for that on your nerves...

The diet includes all national cuisine, meat dishes, beans, all sorts of sweets. A pack of cigarettes is given for two days, but they are so strong that this is quite enough. Plus they carry local products every day, we and the army are like their last hope.

Perhaps in some settlements, where local residents collected all the uniforms and weapons they had, contacted the army and said that their unit of so many people is now part of the militia, there are some supply interruptions, but in Damascus this like at a resort. But the militias are not paid anything; instead, Assad gives their families all sorts of benefits.

- What is the general relationship between the army and the militia?

Subordinates. The opposition likes to portray Shabiha as barbarians whom the government has taken under its wing, and they take advantage of this and only rob and rape... This has nothing in common with the truth.

Of course, civilians can die from government troops, but, unfortunately, this is a feature of combat in urban areas. Sometimes such casualties cannot be avoided, especially since the Islamists hide behind civilians. If we had actually massacred everyone who supported the enemy, Duma would have been destroyed long ago.

They could roll it out with tanks in a day, especially since some hotheads have been calling for this for a long time.

But Assad doesn’t want this; on the contrary, he even continues to pay salaries to those officials who now work for Islamic State. Our task is not to commit genocide, but to unite the country. Therefore, before each mission we were told that under no circumstances should we shoot at civilians. If one of them dies, then each fact is checked, if necessary, even to the tribunal.

- Let’s be more specific, how is the relationship built between Shabiha and the army?

The army gives the task, all the necessary information, support, and so on. Provides us with instructors.

With Assad's permission, Hezbollah trains militias where the army cannot reach. It is possible that in remote locations militias may only communicate sporadically, but if this does not happen at all, their unit will not be considered part of the militia.

In other words, the militia is a natural extension of the army. Communication is carried out through detachment commanders. All issues are approved by the army and civilian administrations, if necessary. Nothing is done at your own peril and risk.

If the militia decides that it is necessary to demolish a house for defense, then it must first obtain permission from the city authorities. Of course, there are cases when you don’t have time to notify, but then you have to tell about everything after the fact.

As for rotation, my commander fought in the army for 4 years as a sergeant, was wounded and went into the militia. In general, the militia recruits volunteers, who can be transferred to the army for their distinction in battle.

- How many people were in the detachment?

There are 21 of us in total. Despite the fact that the squad should be formed on a territorial basis, we had three Christians from Aleppo, two Druze who fled to Damascus from ISIS and joined the militia, and one Lebanese volunteer.

There's a very strong atmosphere there military brotherhood, so we didn't have any religious differences or hazing or anything like that. Everyone understands who our enemy is, all anger goes towards him. At the same time, there were a couple of people among us who took part in anti-government demonstrations at the beginning of the Arab Spring, but now Assad is something of an icon for them. And this is true everywhere.

When I went to Syria, I considered Soviet slogans like “For the Motherland! For Stalin!”, but in Damascus I myself witnessed how people, going on the attack, shouted “God! Syria! Bashar!”, “Our blood and souls are for you, Bashar!” and so on.

-What is the main task of the militia?

The militia did not arise from Great love, but because of the need to fill the gaps with something, when in the first years of the war the army “lost weight” several times.

Now she can maneuver, and we hold the recaptured positions. For example, we spent the whole week sitting in a house that jutted like a wedge into the positions of the militants.

I don’t know what organization they were in, maybe ISIS, or maybe something else. Yes, this does not matter, since they constantly migrate from one organization to another.

- So, on the very first day you found yourself on the front line? Did the commander test your abilities at all?

Yes, it’s a funny story... In the past, I attended military training in Syria, where I became a sniper. But while we were moving to the position, it turned out that I wasn’t a very good shooter - I couldn’t hit the can standing on a barrel about a hundred meters away from me.

As a result, I was made an ordinary shooter, and also a private, since there are no ranks in the detachment, and you are either a commander or a private.

And so - yes, I found myself in combat from the first day, or, well, from the first night, since during the day the heat there is over 40 degrees and it’s hard to do anything.

Until it got dark, our main task was to prevent the enemy from sleeping so that he would not frolic too much at night.

The main battles begin around 6–7 pm, when the heat begins to subside. True, as our commander told me, even the heaviest battles in our position are nothing compared to what is happening in northern Syria, where the Islamists have heavy artillery, tanks and trucks with suicide bombers.

If 6 people died in a week, and that was because own mistake, then about 300 people could die there overnight.

- How did these 6 people die?

On the second day of my stay, they went to help a neighboring detachment that was seizing a house with Islamists. They entered the building, from where the militants had already fled.

According to all the instructions, sappers had to enter there first, because Islamists always mine buildings before leaving them... They forgot, made a mistake and exploded.

- Did you know where your enemies were from?

On the night of the third day, we captured one militant; he turned out to be a Syrian from Aleppo, who admitted that he was a member of ISIS. In the next block, he killed an Armenian family - a woman and her four-year-old daughter, and cut off their heads. He climbed into their apartment when he was escaping from the militia's pursuit.

Then he apparently tried to escape to the Duma, but, since he was not local, he simply got lost and came across us. If someone is worried about his fate, then they shouldn’t. He is alive, we handed him over to the military police.

- How did you understand that he was from Aleppo?

By accent. Arabic- this is something like the Latin of the Middle East. Everyone understands him, but they speak in their own local dialects.

And when a person speaks pure Arabic, he is either very educated, or a speaker of some local dialect, or not a Syrian or Arab at all, but knows the language from the Koran. So I identified among the militants people from the CIS and the North Caucasus... There are quite a lot of them there, and they are the most frostbitten.

- IN full height are they going on the attack?

That's right... The next night after taking the prisoner, the Islamists tried to seize our house. And these people from the CIS, shouting “Allahu Akbar” and something about the valor of Islamic warriors, came full-length towards our machine gun fire.

Maybe they were on drugs or drunk, but in general in the caliphate neither one nor the other is welcome, even the death penalty. In total, 30–40 people attacked us that day, and we killed about a dozen of them.

- Was it scary?

What was most scary was upon arrival, or rather, you don’t even feel fear, but some kind of devastated excitement. All senses are blocked, and you sit as if in prostration. But when they start shooting, there is no time to be afraid.

True, from time to time people appear who only in position understand that they cannot fight at all. During the battle, they go into a complete stupor, can’t do anything, don’t hear anyone... They are immediately sent to the rear to help, for example, in the infirmary. There is nothing special about this, the main thing is that you had the fortitude to come at all.

- What did you do to not lose your composure?

I tried to comment silently or quietly out loud about my actions, this helped me concentrate. For example, I say to myself: “The enemy is running towards me. You need to check the safety, aim and shoot. That’s it, the battle is over, we need to report.”

This helped a lot, but after the fight I started to wind down - I smoked a lot and my hands were shaking.

And on the very first night, when I first arrived, I started to panic, because the militants fired at our house with an RPG, and a piece of the wall hit me in the shoulder. I started shouting that I was wounded, the whole detachment raised their ears... And then I learned the Arabic version of the Russian proverb “he lies like Trotsky.” But I still have the bruise.

- In general, were there moments when you weren’t the only one sitting on pins and needles?

It was like this for a whole day and a half. On the fifth day I learned what tunnel warfare was. It turns out that while we were defending our house, the Islamists were digging an underground passage under our noses.

I don’t know how long this lasted - maybe a month or more - but the fact is that one “fine” day we discovered that the Islamists had crawled out behind us and captured a four-story house, the tallest in the area, since everyone else two or three floors.

Of course, a sniper and machine gunners settled there, and we all ended up in a small cauldron. If you wanted, you could run 200 meters under a hail of bullets to get out, but no one wanted to.

Instead, we contacted the army headquarters, and they said that they would resolve the issue. They decided for a day and a half, then they brought an infantry fighting vehicle, an assault group and two more militia detachments to the captured building.

First, the building was pierced through with a heavy machine gun for two hours, then we went on the attack from all sides.

As a result, our commander’s finger was shot off, and we killed 8 Islamists. In general, there were more of them in the building, but those who were smarter managed to go back into the tunnel. Actually, this was where all my military exploits ended, since it was time to return home...

- They pulled you out in time. Did you manage to talk to local residents about what they think about the war?

Everyone is very tired of her, but they support Assad because they understand that if the Islamists win, they will have a hard time.

ISIS does not take prisoners, if they surround you, then think not about how to surrender, but how to take as many militants with you to the next world as possible.

Even the secular opposition began to use the amnesty to escape the Islamists. Only the poorest segments of the population remained on the side of the Islamists.

At the same time, the majority of refugees, despite last news, remains in Syria. The government is trying not to create tent camps and is housing them in administrative buildings.

The richest go to Iran and Lebanon to continue their business from there, and those who are poorer tend to the European Union.

Despite huge debts and the complete collapse of the economy, Syria allocates a lot of money to the social sector. Children's centers, schools, hospitals, and so on are being built. Salaries are paid even to those officials who remained to work for ISIS.

The Wahhabis are building their own state, but due to the lack of their own personnel, they are forced to rely on Syrian officials in the occupied cities. Some officials have settled down so well that they receive money from both Damascus and Raqqa. In general, Assad is doing everything to prove that Syria, unlike terrorists, cares about its citizens.

- You're talking about ISIS, but there are many different groups there, so is there no difference for the locals?

What difference could it make who cuts your head off?

They are distinguished only by the military, because it is important for them to know with whom they are concluding tactical truces, and by scientists, because they conduct all sorts of research...

Well, there is also the Free Syrian Army, but it owns a maximum of 10% of all rebel forces. Local residents don’t want to talk to them about anything either. All their demands are gradually being fulfilled.

To counter the Islamists, Assad must establish a dialogue with the people. They demand Assad’s resignation, but why, if everyone knows that now he will win any fair elections?

- Does it make a difference for locals whether a visiting Islamist or not?

It's here. Tourists don't give a damn about local rules. It’s getting to the point that even the Bedouin tribes near Raqqa, who initially called ISIS to join them, are now fleeing to Assad, because they cannot live under the new order.

But the wave of refugees begins when Islamists advance on new settlements. The militias I spoke to believe that they live on a mission to cleanse the world of the big pile of crap that has arrived there. Their only regret is that it came to us and not to Saudi Arabia, Turkey or the United States, which finance them.

- What is your general attitude towards the Saudis?

Even before the war, no one from the Gulf countries liked them because of their obscurantism... In Latakia, for example, there is one cafe whose sign says “Saudis and dogs are not served.”

Saudi Arabia is disliked for its savagery, backwardness and barbarism, and for its uncultured pride caused by its vast oil reserves. In turn, Syrians consider themselves heirs of ancient civilizations.

- What do they think about Russia?

Assad’s supporters have been very good towards Russia since the times of the USSR, and even more so now. But if the ISIS people find out that you are a Slav or your wife is Slavic, then they will definitely kill you, because after Chechen war Russia is considered one of the main enemies of the Islamists.

- I see... Was it hard to say goodbye to the squad?

It was a shame. I have somewhere to go, but they don’t. Already made friends with all of them. I want to go again next year. When I went there, I thought that the enemy would be like an immortal horde. It turned out that the capabilities of the Islamists were exaggerated. They die like everyone else.

- Do you think the war will not end by then?

Of course not. To do this, it is necessary for the state to take control of the Turkish border approximately to the Primorsky region and the Jordanian border in the Golan Heights area... Then the influx of Islamists will be stopped, and we will quickly deal with the remaining militants.

All Syrians know that Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States help the Islamists with weapons and money, and buy oil from them.

Allegedly, they help only the secular opposition, but they still understand perfectly well that they are actually throwing weapons at the common fund. From the Free Army, weapons are distributed among everyone.

At the same time, Syria can only lose if a no-fly zone is established, Turkey openly supports the militants, and the anti-ISIS coalition openly opposes Syria.

- Did you feel any changes when you returned to Russia?

I don’t understand how you live here so calmly. I dream about how I was there; I can only sleep when I’m completely exhausted. I hated firecracker lovers. Well, I watch my step all the time so as not to run into a mine.

But still, I couldn’t help but make even a small contribution to the fight against ISIS. My brother says it's like they're filming Saving Private Ryan every day up north. The losses are huge on both sides, no one feels pity for each other, prisoners are not always taken, they even cut each other’s ears as souvenirs...

- Would you like to convey anything to your colleagues and fighters?

For the militias and soldiers: all adequate, normal people are with you, guys. And for militants... it probably won’t be good if the interview ends with the words “they’ll kill you all”? You have to be a complete idiot to go fight for the caliphate...

I'd rather tell you a joke. The soldiers caught the Islamist. He asks to be shot at 13.00. They ask him why at this time? He replies that then he will have time for lunch with the Prophet Muhammad and the martyrs. Report to the officer.

The officer says: shoot him at 14.15. They ask: why? And he replies that then he will have time to wash everyone’s dishes.

P.S. Michel refused to be photographed - he said so that ISIS would not identify him.

"ISIS" - the activities of this organization in the territory Russian Federation officially prohibited.

Today, September 28, negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The main topic of the conversation was resolving the situation in Syria, the fight against ISIS*, a secondary topic was the situation in Ukraine. The confrontation in Donbass is much less important to the United States than to Russia’s influence in the Middle East and the decisive independence demonstrated by Putin. The US Senate and President Obama's administration have already called such actions by Russia “outrageous and brazen.”

Both Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin are leaders whom the United States at some point decided to remove. Both of them used to shake hands and were quite happy with the West, but at a certain moment the rhetoric changed sharply, and systematic work began to overthrow the current government in both Syria and Russia.

In the 90s, Assad Sr. was quite happy with the West. Just like his son, who came to power in the 2000s. Doctor Bashar al-Assad completed his internship in London. He would have remained an ophthalmologist, but in 1994 there was an accident in Damascus that some Syria experts say was a planned CIA operation. On January 21, 1994, Bashar's elder brother Basel, who was being groomed to succeed the country's leader, suddenly crashed on the way to the airport, crashing into a rock. After the death of his father, power was supposed to pass into the hands of the younger heir, Bashar al-Assad, as often happens in Arab countries. From London, Dr. Bashar flew to Damascus and began to learn how to govern the state. In 2000, his father died, and he headed the Syrian branch of the Baath Party, after which he was elected by an absolute majority in legitimate elections, the new president of the country. Bashar al-Assad has always cooperated with the West; in 2005, at the request of the United States, he agreed to withdraw Syrian troops from Lebanon. By the way, Assad’s wife is Syrian, but of British origin. Born in London, she lived in the UK until she was 25, the daughter of a cardiologist. Once upon a time in Elle magazine she was even called the first beauty of the world among all the “first ladies”.

But in 2011, the Syrian president was suddenly declared a tyrant. The Western press is beginning to write that he is a bloody dictator. Doesn't remind you of anything? In the same way, Putin was declared an aggressor who had seized power in Russia, destabilizing the situation in Donbass and was ready to attack the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.

Changes in attitude towards Assad are caused by the fact that in 2010 the United States began to closely study the Middle East, that is, organize local conflicts and wars there. Everything is like on the Maidan - rallies, snipers on the roofs, corpses. The conductors from the State Department are not good at imagination; they always act according to the same scenario. Revolution, sacred sacrifices, civil war. Why did Assad not suit them so much? First of all, because it interfered with US actions in the Middle East. And then, he is a reliable partner and ally of Iran, which since 1979 has been a mortal enemy of the West, especially the United States. In general, Assad is no good. Even if another potential candidate there is no one for the role of leader, it was decided to remove Assad.

Bashar al-Assad told Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in 2011 that the United States was sponsoring al-Qaeda in his country. " Do you see what is happening in Arab countries? It is not Islam that comes to power, but Islamists and radical groups. And victims - thousands of people die. And these Islamists are fighting here: this is not a confrontation of some kind political parties or movements, namely radical Islamism wants to take power».

After some time, the “Islamic State*” appeared. ISIS* spun off in 2013 from al-Qaeda, which the United States supported and armed 30 years ago in the fight against Soviet troops in Afghanistan. At first controlled by the United States, it then gained strength and independence. And it became impossible to control the radicals. Many liberals do not share the opinion that ISIS was created by the CIA to fight the regime of Bashar al-Assad. However, the facts are already out modern history Russia, today accused of the most heinous crimes, only because the United States decided to create hotbeds of tension on Russia’s borders and a color revolution in the country, indicate that this may well be true. After all, the Right Sector, Ukrainian nationalist radicals, are also sponsored by Western funds.

Putin fully supports Assad. The crisis in Syria can only be resolved by strengthening state power in this country. He stated this in an interview with the American television channel CBS on the eve of his trip to the UN General Assembly. President of Russia: « And there is no other way to solve the Syrian crisis other than strengthening existing state institutions and helping them fight terrorism". It is this thesis that he will defend at the meeting with Barack Obama. " It is my deep conviction that actions in a different direction, aimed at destroying the legitimate government, will create a situation that can be seen in other countries in the region or in other regions, for example, in Libya, where state institutions. We are seeing a similar situation, unfortunately, in Iraq.«.

This summer, in July, took place phone conversation Putin and Obama. The presidents discussed a number of pressing international issues, including: the Syrian crisis, the Iranian nuclear program, the fight against the Islamic State*, as well as the resolution of the military confrontation in Ukraine. Judging by how the further situation developed, this conversation yielded absolutely nothing. He was useless. Negotiations in New York will yield nothing. And that's why.

Obama does not want to sacrifice US interests and is very afraid of Russia’s strengthening positions in the Middle East; he still wants to overthrow the “dictator” Assad. And Putin, as you know, does not give up his own. Therefore, he will support the Syrian leader to the last.

But at the same time, the Americans suddenly realized that Assad is a lesser evil than ISIS*. Most likely, they were frightened by the multimillion-dollar crowds of refugees pouring into Europe. They would not give a damn about European problems, they have always demonstrated deep indifference to them, but NATO is an American project, with bases throughout Europe, so the problem with refugees will have to be solved by the Americans. Preserving the Assad regime is the only chance to somehow resist ISIS.

At first glance, it seems that the most reasonable solution is a coalition against ISIS*. But the global confrontation between the West and Russia over Crimea and Donbass, as well as fears that Russia will create a new military foothold in the Middle East from Syria, will not allow reaching an agreement. In addition, Russia, even without the West, has already greatly influenced the situation in Syria. And the United States doesn’t like it when someone acts without their consent. This is “outrageous and brazen.”

The war in Syria has been going on since March 2011. During this time, according to the UN, more than 220 thousand people died, and half of the country's population, 11 million, became refugees. Now their flow has increased even more. Europe groans, not knowing where to place migrants. In Germany they were even settled in the barracks of a former concentration camp.

Back in 2013, Moscow refused to support the aggressive initiatives of Western countries - to bomb Syria, as it did in Libya. Russia participated in negotiations on a political settlement, including hosting meetings between the Syrian opposition and the government. It is quite possible that this uncomfortable position made Washington decide that it was time to remove Putin from the political map of the world.

This summer, the Russian side began to actively increase its military presence in Syria, saving Assad’s army, which was retreating under the onslaught of ISIS. In the summer, reports and photographs confirming them appeared in the Western press that Russian military personnel had appeared in the area of ​​Tartus and Latakia, anti-aircraft systems and aviation technology. At the same time, Russian military personnel are present in Syria, but are not fighting. " They work at a military base, accompany the supply of weapons and control their intended use“, the Russian Ministry of Defense responded to the deputy’s request. President Putin proposed creating a broad front for the fight: from the Syrian regular army, the Kurdish militia and the so-called moderate opposition, as well as mercenaries from a number of countries in the region (most likely meaning Egypt and Palestine). If not for Russian intervention, ISIS would have occupied territories from Latakia to Damascus by September, which would have come under the control of Jabhat al-Nusra or the Islamic State (they oppose each other). At the same time, the most different groups mercenaries and religious fanatics. The government army, that is, Assad, is supported, for example, by militants of the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah. The number of forces supporting the regime is estimated at approximately 140 thousand people, half of which are the Syrian army.

« Russia took control of the situation and introduced heavy weapons, this allowed not only Bashar al-Assad to breathe a sigh of relief, now the entire Syrian scene can change“,” wrote Carnegie Endowment expert Mark Pierini in the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News.

The Western press is writing with all its might that Putin has driven Obama into a corner and laid out a most cunning trap for him in the Middle East. In fact, Obama drove himself into this trap after the United States became bogged down in military conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. Journalists also write that Russia is sending soldiers and heavy equipment, and even air defense, to Syria, although ISIS militants do not have aviation... The Syrian chess game continues. And the negotiations between Presidents Putin and Obama, both telephone and personal, do not at all contribute to the warming of relations between our countries and the settlement of the Syrian crisis. Alas, they are doomed to failure.

_______________________

*The organization's activities are prohibited in Russia by decision Supreme Court RF.

The results of the June 3 presidential elections in Syria will be announced only after the votes have been fully counted. But no one doubts the victory of the current head of state Bashar al-Assad. The West has already declared the vote illegitimate and intends to “correct” the Syrians, turning their country into a new Afghanistan.

Due to high turnout, voting was extended by five hours at all nine thousand polling stations in the country. Lines of 80-100 people wanting to vote, voters’ refusal to go behind the screen - “We have nothing to hide, we give our votes to Bashar”, young people cutting their fingers in order to use their blood to put a “tick” next to Bashar al-Assad’s name on the ballot - such there were these elections...

Something similar happened the day before, but already abroad, at early voting stations opened in embassies: queues, traffic jams in Beirut due to the influx of Syrian refugees wanting to take part in the elections, and an unprecedented turnout of 95 percent.

They voted, of course, mainly for Bashar al-Assad, since the names of his other two rivals in the presidential elections - Hassan An-Nuri and Maher Hajar - were heard by most Syrians only in April. Then their candidacies, like those of 21 other candidates, were submitted to parliament for consideration. Both of Bashar al-Assad’s competitors are from the “moderate” opposition: 54-year-old An-Nuri is a liberal, a professor at Damascus University who defended his dissertation at John F. Kennedy University of California, 45-year-old Hajar is a member of parliament who has repeatedly stated his communist beliefs. Actually, that's all that can be said about them. I only added that the first election in Syria from several candidates, of course, will not give Bashar al-Assad the results of 2000 and 2007 - 97 and 97.6 percent, respectively - but there will not be a second round, with the clear advantage of the current president.

The intervention unleashed by the West made Bashar al-Assad a national hero.

He is respected by the overwhelming majority of the population: he was the only Middle Eastern leader who managed to resist the “reformatting” of the Middle East initiated by the United States and its NATO allies.

Syrians have the opportunity to compare and see that the president is not just fighting for power, but protecting the people and the state from the Iraqi and Libyan scenarios, from the horrors of “total Islamization”, from a bloody massacre when everyone is against everyone. In this regard, Bashar al-Assad is now the unconditional leader of his country, to whom there is no alternative in the eyes of the Syrians.

Today, the dissatisfaction with the regime that accumulated in various layers of Syrian society, the contradictions that existed between Bashar al-Assad and his opponents among businessmen, pro-liberal and pro-communist circles, religious and national minorities, have been smoothed out.

Because, no matter how cynical it may sound, for the internal opposition he is much less evil than the Islamists striving for power or the “secular oppositionists” supported by the West from the “National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces” - NKORS. Small and medium-sized capital, of course, groans and winces when local self-defense units and Hezbollah fighters impose additional “security fees” in the provinces. But any merchant understands: “secular oppositionists” will take more, but jihadists can take their lives along with tribute. There is nothing to say about political circles; the victory of the jihadists means for them, at best, emigration, at worst, gallows and cutting off heads. And the victory of the “secular” means the loss of the country’s independence and the loss of its status as a regional power.

Having confirmed his right to leadership within the country, Bashar al-Assad, unexpectedly both for himself and for the anti-Syrian coalition, became the hero of the “Arab street,” not only in the Arab countries themselves, but even in Turkey. It has long been no secret to the East who is actually financing the two mutually exclusive components of the Syrian conflict - the “fight against dictatorship” and the “war for the triumph of Islam.” And therefore, in the eyes of the “street” in Ankara, Istanbul, Cairo, Baghdad, Bashar Assad today is a hero of resistance to Western dictatorship and the obscurantism of Islamic radicals.

Due to the fact that the Syrian president opposes America, Zionists and demoniac fanatics, the eastern “street”, predominantly Sunni, is ready to turn a blind eye to Damascus’ close alliance with Tehran and the Shiite Hezbollah.

Washington, Brussels and its allies in the Middle East, all participants in the anti-Assad coalition were clearly not prepared for such a development of the situation; today they do not have an adequate response to such widespread support for Bashar Assad. Western “scriptwriters” discovered with unpleasant surprise that all their recipes for “color revolutions” are only suitable for a political blitzkrieg, for quickly creating an aggressive crowd that brings to power those whom the puppeteers and creators of “turbulence” throw into this crowd. For a country with more than two thousand years of history, rich political life and the experience of political, interethnic and interfaith discussions, for a country where the leadership demonstrates the will to resist, the recipes for “color revolutions” not only did not work, but also turned against the behind-the-scenes instigators of the rebellion. They strengthened the existing regime and consolidated society around the ruling leader.

About three months ago, intelligence analysts from the United States, Britain and France, relying on data from colleagues from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey, began to warn their governments: despite the victorious reports of the rebels, real support for Bashar al-Assad in the country is growing. Even then, it accounted for at least 70 percent of the population of areas controlled by government troops, and at least 40-50 percent among refugees.

They also warned about the growing popularity of the president on the streets of the East, and that the population of Jordan and Turkey, for example, is increasingly dissatisfied with the participation of their governments in the anti-Syrian coalition. But the US administration deprived itself of maneuver, and Barack Obama personally climbed into a political trap. On the one hand, while proclaiming the inviolability of American leadership in the world, the owner of the White House is obliged to “stay in the trend of exporting democracy” to the Western world. On the other hand, having generously issued advances to the Saudis, Qatar and Turkey, promising them to support their efforts to overthrow Bashar al-Assad with American aviation, he cannot now retreat so as not to lose the remnants of his authority. The same one that in the East, and especially among the US allies in this region, is already nowhere lower.

That's why the main objective Washington's overthrow of Bashar al-Assad remains unchanged. And the elections, as confirmation of the legitimacy of the Syrian government and president, do not play any role here for the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic bloc. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has already stated that “the Syrian presidential elections- this is a farce. They do not meet international standards for free, fair and just elections. I am sure that no ally will recognize the results of these so-called elections.”

Ban Ki-moon did not stand aside either general secretary, only from the UN, who, on the eve of the vote, worriedly told the world: “Elections in Syria will only worsen the situation, damage the political settlement process and hinder the search for a political solution to the Syrian crisis.”

However, almost no one in the world had any illusions that the West would recognize the results of the elections if Bashar al-Assad won them.

The situation with the Syrian elections is already becoming a joke. The high turnout of Syrians during the voting in Lebanon, for example, is clearly explained by some Western observers by the fact that Hezbollah allegedly promised refugees in this country to bomb their camps if they did not all come to the embassy and vote for Bashar Assad...

There really were bomb attacks and mortar attacks. But it was not Hezbollah, but the Syrian opposition that inflicted them on civilians. A rally of supporters of Bashar al-Assad in the city of Daraa was shot down by directed fire - 39 people were killed, 205 were injured, including women and children. More than 30 mines and homemade rockets fell on voting day in Aleppo, where more than 200 thousand people voted in 800 polling stations in the first half of yesterday. 11 people were killed and 47 were injured. Their blood is the payment of the Syrian people for freedom and the right to choose, for resistance to outside interference.

Blood, dirt and death of civilians are the companions of any war. But the amount of dirt increases rapidly with the level at which political decisions are made to continue the Syrian conflict.

The fatal word - “Afghanization” - has already been spoken. Two weeks ago, Barack Obama received Ahmed Jarbu, appointed by the West as the leader of the National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces in Syria, in Washington.

As journalists reported, “both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a political settlement civil war in Syria, including the transition to new governing bodies" At the same meeting, the American president said that the current “Syrian authorities pose a great threat to national security, foreign policy and the US economy." And soon followed the extension for another year of the emergency sanctions regime against Syria, in force since 2004.

But that was not the main thing. Even on the eve of the meeting, A. Jarba publicly thanked the US President for assistance to the Syrian opposition in the amount of more than $280 million, for “humanitarian” assistance. After which he stated: he will seek from Barack Obama the supply of portable portable weapons to the oppositionists. anti-aircraft missile systems and expanding the range of weapons supplied to the opposition, primarily heavy ones.

Apparently, preliminary consent to this has already been received. According to the Syrian oppositionists themselves, who were present at the meeting at the White House, they managed to reach agreements on strategic cooperation, as well as enlist the support of Congress. In addition, Washington has already expressed its readiness to increase the number of rebels trained in training camps outside Syria - for example, in Jordan. And the dispute that is currently underway at the UN about “humanitarian corridors” to rebels besieged by government troops is, by and large, a dispute about the right of the West to organize legal, under the “roof” of the UN and all kinds of humanitarian missions, channels for the supply of weapons and supplies to the rebels. But - only “ideologically close” ones, because, carried away by the overthrow of Bashar Assad and establishing control over Syria by any means, the United States got into a new trouble, which is called “international jihad.”

According to various estimates, about twelve and a half thousand so-called “Islamists” are operating in Syria today. So-called - because Al-Qaeda in Syria has become a gathering of fanatics and bandits, the scum of the East and the West. The flow of finances and weapons coming from Qatar for Islamist groups is now drying up; they come under the wing of the Syrian “Muslim Brotherhood” with great reluctance, and the fighters of the Syrian special forces and Hezbollah units have learned to effectively destroy them. As a result, these units switch to “self-sufficiency”, terrorizing civilians, attacking units and bases of the “secular opposition” to seize equipment and weapons, and, ultimately, increasing the bloody chaos in the exhausted country.

The suffering of Syrians at the hands of Islamists, of course, is of little concern to Washington, but their activities expand the social base of Bashar al-Assad’s supporters, and this already poses a threat to the plans of the United States and the anti-Syrian coalition.

Therefore, the reorganization and arming of the “secular opposition” units is also considered today by this coalition as creating a counterweight to the “jihadists.” It seems that the West is preparing for their destruction on Syrian soil in order to prevent them from returning to their homeland - to Arab countries, EU states and Central Asia. Hence the increasingly frequent talk that Barack Obama is obliged to give permission for the deployment of a “war of drones” in Syria, which will destroy terrorists and strike government forces.

Weapon Map mass destruction", which Washington played all this time, turned out to be a bat. At the end of April, the head of the joint mission of the Organization for the Prohibition arrived in Damascus chemical weapons and UN Sigrid Kaag. At her press conference, she officially stated that, firstly, Syria fully complies with all agreements on the disposal of arsenals of these weapons. And secondly, that 92 percent of the volume of hazardous substances has already been exported outside the country.

Consequently, Washington and NATO have only two pretexts left for intervention. Or the notorious “fight against terrorism,” that is, the fight to the last Syrian. Or - support for the “legitimate government”, formed in one of the areas controlled by the “secular opposition” and proclaiming itself “the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people” a little before the Syrian special forces and “commandos” from Hezbollah get to it.

Any of these two options means “Afghanization” for Syria, a protracted war, but it is precisely this scenario that the Barack Obama administration is banking on.

Analyzing the speech of the American president at West Point, it seems that he does not want to take responsibility for tough decisions in the form of a direct invasion until the end of his presidential term.

To wait two years, during which a lot can happen, what if the position of Moscow and Tehran, who, along with Bashar al-Assad, managed to defend the sovereignty and integrity of Syria, will change... Naivety or stupidity?

Contrary to the “prophecies,” Moscow’s firm position towards Bashar al-Assad brought it increased authority in the East. She proved that she, by masterfully maneuvering, can and knows how to protect both her allies and her interests.

Iran also perceives success in Syria as a major victory in the confrontation with the West. And although some circles in Tehran say that intransigence on Syria could cost Iran dearly in negotiations with the West, the number of politicians insisting on continued further support for Bashar al-Assad, professing the principle “Damascus is Iran’s Stalingrad,” is not decreasing today. Moreover, it is growing along with the growth of anti-liberal sentiments in Iran itself.

The election results showed that neither Syrian society nor the Syrian elite were broken by the trials of war. Every day Bashar al-Assad confronts the West, he gains more supporters not only within the country, but also outside its borders. At the gates of Damascus, Washington and its allies in the anti-Syrian coalition suffered a serious defeat.

But, celebrating the victory of Bashar al-Assad in the elections, today the eastern “street” is wondering: will Moscow have enough stamina to continue its independent Middle Eastern policy on both Syrian and other issues...

In Washington, on May 15, a statement was published, based on short CIA communications, which stated that this moment time President of Syria Bashar al-Assad could secure the support of 75% of its citizens if elections for the Syrian head of state take place next year. This was also reported by the Lebanese TV channel. « Al Manar» . Internet media, according to the Al-Manar TV channel, report that short CIA reports, in particular, say that the current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, may remain in the presidency until 2020. Internet media also report that according to reports made by the TV channel, which are based on short CIA reports, American intelligence came to this conclusion based on reports coming from Syria and survey data, reports jvatnews.ru.

IA REX: Is it possible to remove Assad from power with such popular support?

Yuri Yuryev, political constructor:

This news seems far-fetched. If the CIA had the opportunity to conduct surveys in Assad’s Syria, it would have the opportunity to recruit and interfere with the army and air defense. The CIA can only interrogate rebels, because... they are his creation. And the rebels cannot have 75% of Assad’s supporters, since they are fighting with him. It is clear that a Muslim can do a lot for money, but if 75% of the platoon is for sympathy for the goal, and only 25% is against it, then the platoon will not budge.

It seems that Al-Manar TV loves oriental tales. Moreover, the CIA does not present reports with such content. This may be part of the “giveaway” in the region, and not at all support for Assad. Unfortunately, even if 90% of Syrians are for Assad, the forecast until 2020 is not very realistic for one visible reason - millions of completely non-citizens are arriving in Syria and voting for their views with gunshots. If the number of arrivals exceeds the number of citizens, or NATO fire intervenes, there may not be elections.

In the meantime, in reality, 90% of Syrian citizens are for Assad. And not because he is so perfect. But because those 10% who are against it, and who invited foreigners to defeat Syria, caused Syria’s rejection with their savagery and atrocities. So they will fight for Assad even without elections, and in the elections a higher percentage among Syrian citizens is possible.

Michael Dorfman, writer (New York, USA):

The source of the news is Al Manar - this is the TV channel of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, which fights on the side of Assad’s forces, supplies them with weapons, provides shelter to the families of the heads of his regime, and they should not be particularly trusted.

Sandra Novikova, journalist and blogger:

Yes, it is possible: in order to carry out a “color revolution” and remove from power a leader who has suddenly become objectionable, three main factors, three conditions are needed: first, outside support for the rebels; secondly, the presence of special shock groups that will play the first violin in a revolution; and thirdly, the weakness of the government itself - its lack of self-confidence, the presence of a “fifth column”, etc. And if these three conditions exist, and an objectionable leader must be removed, then in this case no one will pay attention to the support of the population - after all There is no democracy in nature and the elite is not interested in the opinion of the people.

Consequently, they will simply spit on the support of the people or say that in fact there is no support, that the polls are rigged, that not 75, but 7.5% are ready to vote for Assad (“look at the results of the virtual vote of the popular blogger Mamed Ali - he has only 3% voted for Assad”; or they will write that “only cattle” vote for Assad.

Now let's see if the conditions necessary for a coup are present in Syria. Does the West support Syrian rebels? Certainly. Are there strike groups, that is, militants, in Syria? Of course, it is with them that the Syrian army has been fighting for more than two years. Is Syria's government weak? Fortunately, no: Assad is holding up well. However, alas, there have been cases of betrayal in the highest echelons of power in Syria. And Assad himself can also make a mistake: people sometimes cannot stand the tension, and the war in Syria has been going on for a long time. So, out of the three conditions necessary for a coup in Syria, at least two and a half exist. This means that Assad’s removal is possible. However, it should be noted that when the population supports the leader, when the leader wins the election by a large margin, and not by a difference within the limits of statistical error, then it is more difficult to carry out a coup.

An interesting interview with a Russian volunteer who fought in Syria on the side of Bashar al-Assad.

Save Bashar al-Assad: revelations from a volunteer about the war in Syria

Stories often appear in the media about how people, for one reason or another, go to fight in the ranks of ISIS. At the same time, Russians know almost nothing about those who are fighting the 21st century plague in their homes. We spoke with Michel Mizah, a 25-year-old citizen of Russia and Syria, who returned a few days ago from Damascus, where he fought in the ranks of the pro-government armed group Shabiha.
photo: AP Bashar al-Assad talks with the military.

— Why did you decide to go to Syria?

My father is from Syria, and there are many relatives left there with whom we communicate almost every day; consider us to live in two countries. We are Christians. A second cousin is fighting in the ranks of the Syrian army; his uncle and aunt, being civilians, died in 2012 in the Qalamun region. Therefore, when I watch the news, I am tormented by some remorse... I have wanted to go there for three years, but something always got in the way - either my wife or work. Only now the stars have aligned and I have a free window.

— And when the Arab Spring just began, how did your family feel about it?

At first, the family treated the protesters with sympathy, but then it turned out that an irreconcilable part of the secular opposition defended the interests of Turkey and the Arab monarchies. Plus, the prospects for the Islamization of the protest were visible to many and feared. Probably, like all normal people, our family, all my friends and acquaintances in Syria have a sharply negative attitude towards Wahhabis and any religious extremism in general. In Syria, the war is not with Assad, but with civilization as such. ISIS takes people into slavery, crucifies them on crosses, imposes medieval taxes on Christians, and kills Shiites and Alawites on the spot...
Do you want to live according to Sharia, so that you could be killed for a cigarette and alcohol, and beaten with sticks in the city square for wearing skinny jeans? Nobody wants this!
And we know that this will happen if Damascus falls. This is already the case in Raqqa, the locals themselves talk about it. There are still buses between us, so we are very aware of the alternative to Assad. I met a girl in Damascus, she is only 20 years old, she spent the last three months in slavery from ISIS. One of their commanders bought her and made her his concubine, and when she died, the girl was “inherited” to his successor... Her relatives were miraculously able to buy her back.

“Did you even know where you were going, was someone waiting for you there?”

Of course, about two months before departure, through friends of my relatives, I contacted my future detachment commander in the militia adjacent to the army.
This is the same Shabiha that the UN accused in 2012 of crimes against humanity. In general, for two months I told him about myself: who I am, what I can do, why I want to come, and so on... And in response, he explained what awaits me, what I will do, and so on. I would also join the army, but my turn for mobilization comes last, since I am the only breadwinner in the family, and you can’t go there for a week. My brother has been there for three years now, and he can’t even see his relatives, since there is no respite at all at the front.

— Are only Syrians included in the militia or is it an international brigade?

They come from Lebanon and Iran because they understand that if Syria falls, they will be next. They supply us with military advisers and weapons... The entire “Shiite axis of evil” is for us! I didn’t see any fighters from the rest of the world... It seemed to me that the Syrian Embassy in Russia does not approve of such topics. Perhaps this is due to the rumors that are circulating around the so-called “Russian Legion”, which several years ago was hired by some St. Petersburg private security company to fight for Assad. But when they arrived in Damascus, the Russian side was indignant, the “legionnaires” were returned to their homeland and a couple of criminal cases were opened for mercenarism. In general, you can legally fight for Syria only if you have Syrian citizenship or some kind of intergovernmental agreement. But the Islamists have a real international on their side - they are coming to us from everywhere.

— How did Damascus greet you?

I arrived at Damascus International Airport and the first thing I saw was a large number of soldiers and militias. But civilian life continues, in the city center people walk the streets without fear, despite periodic mortar attacks. In Christian areas the situation is a little more complicated, but there are shops there too. My squad was based right next to them, on the northeastern outskirts of Damascus, opposite the opposition district of Duma, which is entirely occupied by Islamists. It has always been populated by religious radicals, so no one was surprised when it turned out to be a hotbed of militants. True, by the time I arrived, the area had long been under siege, and the enemy had no way to escape, so it was relatively easy for me there, compared to what was happening in northern Syria...

— When they say “militia,” you immediately imagine a motley crowd, poorly dressed and armed. Is Shabikha similar to this?

Of course not. On the very first day I was given standard army ammunition, given instructions and sent to my positions. They also feed you to your heart's content, well, if you can eat, of course, because you have no time for that on your nerves... The diet includes all national cuisine, dishes made from meat, beans, all sorts of sweets. A pack of cigarettes is given for two days, but they are so strong that this is quite enough. Plus they carry local products every day, we and the army are like their last hope.
Perhaps in some settlements, where local residents collected all the uniforms and weapons they had, contacted the army and said that their unit of so many people is now part of the militia, there are some supply interruptions, but in Damascus this like at a resort. But the militias are not paid anything; instead, Assad gives their families all sorts of benefits.

— What is the general relationship between the army and the militia?

Subordinates. The opposition likes to portray Shabiha as barbarians whom the government has taken under its wing, and they take advantage of this and only rob and rape... This has nothing in common with the truth.
Certainly, civilians may die from government forces, but, unfortunately, this is a feature of combat in urban areas. Sometimes such casualties cannot be avoided, especially since the Islamists hide behind civilians. If we had actually massacred everyone who supported the enemy, Duma would have been destroyed long ago.
They could roll it out with tanks in a day, especially since some hotheads have been calling for this for a long time.
But Assad doesn’t want this; on the contrary, he even continues to pay salaries to those officials who now work for the Islamic State. Our task is not to commit genocide, but to unite the country. Therefore, before each mission we were told that under no circumstances should we shoot at civilians. If one of them dies, then each fact is checked, if necessary, even to the tribunal.

— Let’s be more specific, how are the relations built between Shabiha and the army?

The army gives the task, all the necessary information, support, and so on. Provides us with instructors. With Assad's permission, Hezbollah trains militias where the army cannot reach. It is possible that in remote locations militias may only communicate sporadically, but if this does not happen at all, their unit will not be considered part of the militia. In other words, the militia is a natural extension of the army. Communication is carried out through detachment commanders. All issues are approved by the army and civilian administrations, if necessary. Nothing is done at your own peril and risk. If the militia decides that it is necessary to demolish a house for defense, then it must first obtain permission from the city authorities. Of course, there are cases when you don’t have time to notify, but then you have to tell about everything after the fact. As for rotation, my commander fought in the army for 4 years as a sergeant, was wounded and went into the militia. In general, the militia recruits volunteers, who can be transferred to the army for their distinction in battle.

— How many people were in the detachment?

There are 21 of us in total. Despite the fact that the squad should be formed on a territorial basis, we had three Christians from Aleppo, two Druze who fled to Damascus from ISIS and joined the militia, and one Lebanese volunteer. There is a very strong atmosphere of fighting brotherhood there, so we did not have any religious differences, hazing or anything like that. Everyone understands who our enemy is, all anger goes towards him. At the same time, there were a couple of people among us who took part in anti-government demonstrations at the beginning of the Arab Spring, but now Assad is something of an icon for them. And this is true everywhere. When I went to Syria, I considered Soviet slogans like “For the Motherland! For Stalin!”, but in Damascus I myself witnessed how people, going on the attack, shouted “God! Syria! Bashar!”, “Our blood and souls are for you, Bashar!” and so on.

—What is the main task of the militia?

The militia arose not out of great love, but because of the need to fill the gaps with something, when in the first years of the war the army “lost weight” several times.
Now she can maneuver, and we hold the recaptured positions. For example, we spent the whole week sitting in a house that jutted like a wedge into the positions of the militants.
I don’t know what organization they were in, maybe ISIS, or maybe something else. Yes, this does not matter, since they constantly migrate from one organization to another.

— So, on the very first day you found yourself on the front line? Did the commander test your abilities at all?

Yes, it’s a funny story... In the past, I attended military training in Syria, where I became a sniper. But while we were moving to the position, it turned out that I wasn’t a very good shooter—I couldn’t hit the can standing on a barrel about a hundred meters away from me. As a result, I was made an ordinary shooter, and also a private, since there are no ranks in the detachment, and you are either a commander or a private. And so - yes, I found myself in combat from the first day, or at least from the first night, since during the day the heat there is over 40 degrees and it’s hard to do anything.
Until it got dark, our main task was to prevent the enemy from sleeping so that he would not frolic too much at night.
The main battles begin around 6-7 pm, when the heat begins to subside. True, as our commander told me, even the heaviest battles in our position are nothing compared to what is happening in northern Syria, where the Islamists have heavy artillery, tanks and trucks with suicide bombers.
If 6 people died in a week, and then because of our own mistakes, then about 300 people could die there overnight.

— How did these 6 people die?

On the second day of my stay, they went to help a neighboring detachment that was seizing a house with Islamists. They entered the building, from where the militants had already fled.
According to all the instructions, sappers had to enter there first, because Islamists always mine buildings before leaving them... They forgot, made a mistake and exploded.

“Did you know where your enemies were from?”

On the night of the third day, we captured one militant; he turned out to be a Syrian from Aleppo, who admitted that he was a member of ISIS. In the next block, he killed an Armenian family - a woman and her four-year-old daughter, and cut off their heads. He climbed into their apartment when he was escaping from the militia's pursuit. Then he, apparently, tried to escape to the Duma, but, since he was not local, he simply got lost and came across us. If someone is worried about his fate, then they shouldn’t. He is alive, we handed him over to the military police.

— How did you understand that he was from Aleppo?

By accent. Arabic is something like the Latin of the Middle East. Everyone understands him, but they speak in their own local dialects. And when a person speaks pure Arabic, he is either very educated, or a speaker of some local dialect, or not a Syrian or Arab at all, but knows the language from the Koran. So I identified among the militants people from the CIS and the North Caucasus... There are quite a lot of them there, and they are the most frostbitten.

— Do they attack at full height?

That's right... The next night after taking the prisoner, the Islamists tried to seize our house. And these people from the CIS, shouting “Allahu Akbar” and something about the valor of Islamic warriors, came full-length towards our machine gun fire. Maybe they were on drugs or drunk, but in general in the caliphate neither one nor the other is welcome, even the death penalty. In total, 30-40 people attacked us that day, and we killed about a dozen of them.

— Was it scary?

What was most scary was upon arrival, or rather, you don’t even feel fear, but some kind of devastated excitement. All senses are blocked, and you sit as if in prostration. But when they start shooting, there is no time to be afraid. True, from time to time people appear who only in position understand that they cannot fight at all. During the battle, they go into a complete stupor, can’t do anything, don’t hear anyone... They are immediately sent to the rear to help, for example, in the infirmary. There is nothing special about this, the main thing is that you had the fortitude to come at all.

- What did you do to not lose your composure?

I tried to comment silently or quietly out loud about my actions, this helped me concentrate. For example, I say to myself: “The enemy is running towards me. You need to check the safety, aim and shoot. That’s it, the battle is over, we need to report.” This helped a lot, but after the fight I started to wind down - I smoked a lot and my hands were shaking.
And on the very first night, when I first arrived, I started to panic, because the militants fired at our house with an RPG, and a piece of the wall hit me in the shoulder. I started shouting that I was wounded, the whole detachment raised their ears... And then I learned the Arabic version of the Russian proverb “he lies like Trotsky.” But I still have the bruise.

— In general, were there moments when you weren’t the only one sitting on pins and needles?

It was like this for a whole day and a half. On the fifth day I learned what tunnel warfare was. Turns out, While we were defending our house, the Islamists were digging an underground passage under our noses. I don’t know how long this lasted - maybe a month or more - but the fact is that one “fine” day we discovered that the Islamists had crawled out behind us and captured a four-story house, the tallest in the area, since everyone else two or three floors.
Of course, a sniper and machine gunners settled there, and we all ended up in a small cauldron. If you wanted, you could run 200 meters under a hail of bullets to get out, but no one wanted to. Instead, we contacted the army headquarters, and they said that they would resolve the issue. They decided for a day and a half, then they brought an infantry fighting vehicle, an assault group and two more militia detachments to the captured building. First, the building was pierced through with a heavy machine gun for two hours, then we went on the attack from all sides.
As a result, our commander’s finger was shot off, and we killed 8 Islamists. In general, there were more of them in the building, but those who were smarter managed to go back into the tunnel. Actually, this was where all my military exploits ended, since it was time to return home...

- They pulled you out in time. Did you manage to talk to local residents about what they think about the war?

Everyone is very tired of her, but they support Assad because they understand that if the Islamists win, they will have a hard time.
ISIS does not take prisoners, if they surround you, then think not about how to surrender, but how to take as many militants with you to the next world as possible.
Even the secular opposition began to use the amnesty to escape the Islamists. Only the poorest segments of the population remained on the side of the Islamists.
At the same time, the majority of refugees, despite the latest news, remain in Syria. The government is trying not to create tent camps and is housing them in administrative buildings. The richest go to Iran and Lebanon to continue their business from there, and those who are poorer tend to the European Union.
Despite huge debts and the complete collapse of the economy, Syria allocates a lot of money to the social sector. Children's centers, schools, hospitals, and so on are being built. Salaries are paid even to those officials who remained to work for ISIS. The Wahhabis are building their own state, but due to the lack of their own personnel, they are forced to rely on Syrian officials in the occupied cities. Some officials have settled down so well that they receive money from both Damascus and Raqqa. In general, Assad is doing everything to prove that Syria, unlike terrorists, cares about its citizens.

— You’re talking about ISIS, but there are many different groups there; is there no difference for the locals?

What difference could it make who cuts your head off?
They are distinguished only by the military, because it is important for them to know with whom they are concluding tactical truces, and by scientists, because they conduct all sorts of research...
Well, there is also the Free Syrian Army, but it owns a maximum of 10% of all rebel forces. Local residents don’t want to talk to them about anything either. All their demands are gradually being fulfilled. To counter the Islamists, Assad must establish a dialogue with the people. They demand Assad’s resignation, but why, if everyone knows that now he will win any fair elections?

— For locals, does it make a difference whether a newcomer is an Islamist or not?

It's here. Tourists don't give a damn about local rules. It’s getting to the point that even the Bedouin tribes near Raqqa, who initially called ISIS to join them, are now fleeing to Assad, because they cannot live under the new order. But the wave of refugees begins when Islamists advance on new settlements. The militias I spoke to believe that they live on a mission to cleanse the world of the big pile of crap that has arrived there. Their only regret is that it came to us and not to Saudi Arabia, Turkey or the United States, which finance them.

— What is your general attitude towards the Saudis?

- Even before the war, no one from the Gulf countries liked them because of their obscurantism... In Latakia, for example, there is one cafe whose sign says “Saudis and dogs are not served.”
Saudi Arabia is disliked for its savagery, backwardness and barbarism, as well as for its uncultured pride caused by the presence of vast oil reserves. In turn, Syrians consider themselves heirs of ancient civilizations.

— What do they think about Russia?

— Assad’s supporters have been very good towards Russia since the times of the USSR, and even more so now. But if the ISIS members find out that you are a Slav or your wife is Slavic, then they will definitely kill you, because after the Chechen war, Russia is considered one of the main enemies of the Islamists.

- I see... Was it hard to say goodbye to the squad?

- It was a shame. I have somewhere to go, but they don’t. Already made friends with all of them. I want to go again next year. When I went there, I thought that the enemy would be like an immortal horde. It turned out that the capabilities of the Islamists were exaggerated. They die like everyone else.

- Do you think the war will not end by then?

Of course not. To do this, it is necessary for the state to take control of the Turkish border approximately to the Primorsky region and the Jordanian border in the Golan Heights area... Then the influx of Islamists will be stopped, and we will quickly deal with the remaining militants. All Syrians know that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States help the Islamists with weapons and money, and buy oil from them. Allegedly, they help only the secular opposition, but they still understand perfectly well that they are actually throwing weapons at the common fund. From the Free Army, weapons are distributed among everyone. At the same time, Syria can only lose if a no-fly zone is established, Turkey openly supports the militants, and the anti-ISIS coalition openly opposes Syria.

— Did you feel any changes when you returned to Russia?

I don’t understand how you live here so calmly. I dream about how I was there; I can only sleep when I’m completely exhausted. I hated firecracker lovers. Well, I watch my step all the time so as not to run into a mine. But still, I couldn’t help but make even a small contribution to the fight against ISIS. My brother says it's like they're filming Saving Private Ryan every day up north. The losses are huge on both sides, no one feels pity for each other, prisoners are not always taken, they even cut each other’s ears as souvenirs...

— Would you like to convey anything to your colleagues and fighters?

For the militias and soldiers: all adequate, normal people are with you, guys. And for militants... it probably won’t be good if the interview ends with the words “they’ll kill you all”? You have to be a complete idiot to go fight for the caliphate... It’s better to tell an anecdote. The soldiers caught the Islamist. He asks to be shot at 13.00. They ask him why at this time? He replies that then he will have time for lunch with the Prophet Muhammad and the martyrs. Report to the officer.
The officer says: shoot him at 14.15. They ask: why? And he replies that then he will have time to wash everyone’s dishes.

P.S. Michel refused to be photographed - he said so that ISIS would not identify him.