Embedded With The Russian Military In Syria

DW: Embedded in Syria - on the road with the Russian military

The war in Syria is dominating the headlines. But foreign observers do not dare to venture into the country on their own. DW correspondent Juri Rescheto takes a journey through Syria accompanied by Russian troops.

It is black, dark and loud. Emergency lights and searchlights are switched off. Cell phones and laptops are prohibited. We are speeding toward the ground, in a steep, winding trajectory. In the end, we land softly as a feather. "The Russians know what they're doing," goes through my mind, and the thought alleviates my initial fear.

It is an exceptional journey through Syria, because participation is by invitation of the Russian military only. Let me be frank: If you agree to go on such a trip, then you are aware of the fact that the Russian military will show only what it wants to show. After all, the Russian army is actively participating in the war and is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad's troops. Yet the opportunity to gain such a unique perspective does not often arise for a reporter. That is why I have accepted the invitation.

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WNU Editor: The Russian military rarely permits foreign journalists to be embedded with their military in a war-zone. My guess is that they now feel comfortable to permit such reporting, thereby signalling to everyone that they and their Syrian allies now have the upper hand in this conflict .... or at least in that part of Syria that this journalist and others were permitted to see.