Putin agrees to attract volunteers from the Middle East to Donbass

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with a proposal to attract volunteers from the Middle East to Ukraine, RIA Novosti reports.

'Western sponsors' do not conceal the collection of mercenaries. They do it openly, while neglecting the norms of international law, Putin noted.

"If you see that there are people who want, on a voluntary basis, not for money, to come and help people living in the Donbass, well, we need to meet them halfway and help them move to the fighting zone,” Putin said.

It goes about as many as 16,000 applications from volunteers. It is believed that most of them will arrive from Iraq, Syria, Iran. The ground forces of the three countries have extensive experience in military operations. In Syria, there are many of those who served not just in the regular army, but, in such units as Suhel Al-Hassan's Tiger Forces, in special forces of the Republican Guard of Iraq or Takavaran, Iran's special naval forces.