Wearing clean bullet-proof vests and knee pads, fighters from a new Syrian amy battalion showcase the skills they have learned from Russia’s military advisers. In the countryside west of Damascus, the soldiers carry out a mock assault, fire mortar rounds and rockets, perform mine-clearing and first aid exercises. “We sacrifice our blood for you Bashar,” the soldiers chant in unison, throwing their fists in the air, in praise of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.