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The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) elite 25th Special Mission Forces Division, also known as the “Tiger Forces,” had held its first a parachuting exercise with support from the Russian military, TV Zvezda reported on March 30.
60 service members of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division took part in the exercise after being trained by Russian military advisors.
Footage released by TV Zvezda showed the service members parachuting from a Russian Mi-8AMTSh helicopter. The exercise was attended by the renowned commander of the 25th Special Mission Forces Division, Brig. Gen. Suheil al-Hassan.
Despite being highly-experienced in ground operations, especially in urban areas, the 25th Special Mission Forces Division lacks the needed skills for airborne assault operations. Now, the division is working to acquire these skills with help from the Russian military that has vast experience in this kind of operations.
According to TV Zvezda, the 25th Special Mission Forces Division will hold more parachuting exercises in the near future. The division is planning to turn all of its personnel into paratroopers.
The 25th Special Mission Forces Division, which receives major support from the Russian military, played a leading role in almost all key counter-terrorism operations in Syria since its formation in 2013.
Recently, the elite division came to the spotlight following several Western and Arabian reports claiming that it will join the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine. One recent report even claimed that hundreds of personnel from the division have already arrived in Russia. However, these claims are questionable to say the least.
