Does Syria possess weapons that could aid Ukraine, and how can they be obtained? Defense Express provides the answer.

The Syrian regime had coastal anti-ship complexes "Bastion" equipped with supersonic cruise missiles of the P-800 "Onyx" type. They received these from Russia back in 2013.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine with reference to Defense Express.

According to Defense Express, it would be relevant for Ukraine to acquire these complexes. They could be studied to develop new methods for countering missile attacks from Russia.

The publication also states that the forces of Bashar al-Assad's regime had an unspecified number of tactical missile systems "Tochka-U," "Elbrus," and Iranian Fateh-110 missiles at their disposal.

In the opinion of Defense Express, the ballistic systems from Iran would also be relevant for Ukraine at least for study purposes. However, the question of how realistic it would be to integrate the "Elbrus" systems into the Armed Forces of Ukraine is indeed debatable. At the same time, Defense Express believes that the existing "Tochka" systems in Syria could likely be needed by Ukrainian forces for further missile strikes on Russian occupier targets.

According to media reports, Syria's air defense included at least 20 S-300PMU2 launchers, up to 36 S-125-2M "Pechora-2M" launchers, an unspecified number of S-200 launchers, as well as "Buk" and "Buk-M2" systems. The publication notes that these systems would significantly strengthen Ukraine's air defense.

As of the beginning of this year, Syria's artillery park included multiple rocket launch systems "Uragan" with a caliber of 220 mm and "Smerch" with a caliber of 300 mm, ammunition for which is scarce on the global market.

Syria also had a total of 184 military aircraft. Among them, the MiG-29, some of which were upgraded to the MiG-29SM modification, could be of interest to Ukraine. Additionally, Syria possessed four Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters and five Mi-14 helicopters. While these are likely fully inoperable, they could serve as "donors for spare parts."

Defense Express believes that when discussing the practical prospects of acquiring certain types of weapons, the issue is not just about the actual condition of the equipment. The primary question arises regarding who in Syria can be negotiated with for the potential acquisition of this equipment and armament.

Overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's Regime

This autumn, large-scale combat clashes began in Syria between the Islamist rebel group "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham," the Syrian National Army, and the army of the dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was supported by Russia and Iran. On December 1, the rebels captured Aleppo, followed by Hama.

As noted by al-Jolan in an interview with CNN, the rebels aimed to overthrow Assad's regime. Meanwhile, the dictator is already in Moscow.

Reuters reported that Turkey was aware in advance of the rebels' plans to overthrow Assad's regime.