Ukraine war recalls trauma for survivors of Aleppo siege

By AJ NADDAFF
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Survivors of the Russian-backed siege of the Syrian city of Aleppo are watching in shock as Ukrainians face familiar horrors. Many of them are expressing solidarity with Ukrainians this week, the 11th anniversary of Syria’s civil war. They see many parallels. In 2016, Russian and Syrian government warplanes relentlessly bombarded opposition-held eastern Aleppo as they strangled it with a siege. Tens of thousands scrounged for food, heat and shelter for months until the city fell. With Ukraine’s Mariupol now besieged, many fear Russia will unleash a similar strategy across Ukraine.