Ukraine supplied Syrian rebels with drones and experienced operators in the weeks before they defeated Bashar al-Assad’s army, the Washington Post has reported.

David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist, quoted “knowledgeable sources” that said 20 Ukrainian drone operators and 150 drones had been sent to the rebels.

“Ukraine’s motivation is obvious: facing a Russian onslaught inside their country, Ukrainian intelligence has looked for other fronts where it can bloody Russia’s nose and undermine its clients,” he said.

The claims cannot be independently verified but Ukrainian intervention against Russian allies in Syria would match a pattern.