Representatives of Wagner Group were negotiating a lucrative deal with President Bashar al-Assad to make Syria its biggest base, just days before its troops attempted to stage a coup in Moscow.
Officials in Damascus were ready to agree to increase the number of Wagner fighters in Syria by more than tenfold – seeing the move as a route to strengthening ties with the Kremlin – but were blindsided by events in Russia last week.
The Assad regime is considering whether there is a way to keep the multi-million-dollar contracts with Yevgeny Prigozhin’s companies, while not risking the direct military support Damascus receives from Moscow.
• Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj
• Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news
Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/itvnews
Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
