"We reaffirm that the Russian air operation in Syria is aimed solely at suppressing the terrorist threat in the Syrian Arab Republic… We have not received any conclusive evidence of civilian casualties caused by Russian airstrikes," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
In the same issue Kremlin sources also said that there is no reliable proof to allegations about civilian casualties of Russian air strikes in Syria.
However, human rights organizations on top of which Amnesty International have their own documented and different story about the humanitarian situation in Syria.
Amnesty International published a report in December 23 in which the organization said that Russian air strikes in Syria have killed hundreds of civilians and caused massive destruction in residential areas, striking homes, a mosque and a busy market, as well as medical facilities, in a pattern of attacks that show evidence of violations of international humanitarian law.
The report focuses on six attacks in Homs, Idlib and Aleppo between September and November 2015 which killed at least 200 civilians and around a dozen fighters. The briefing includes evidence suggesting that Russian authorities may have lied to cover up civilian damage to a mosque from one air strike and a field hospital in another. It also documents evidence suggesting Russia’s use of internationally banned cluster munitions and of unguided bombs in populated residential areas.
“Some Russian air strikes appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians. Such attacks may mount to war crimes,” said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International.
The Russian authorities have claimed that their armed forces are only striking “terrorist” targets. After some attacks, they have responded to reports of civilian deaths, by denying they killed civilians; after others, they have simply stayed silent.
Amnesty International interviewed eyewitnesses and survivors of attacks as well as examining video evidence and images showing the aftermath of attacks, aided by analysis by weapons experts. The attacks were identified as suspected Russian air strikes by cross-referencing details of each attack with statements from the Russian ministry of defense announcing “terrorist” targets struck, or from details about the nature of the attack in witness testimony.
The organization’s research into these strikes indicate that there were no military targets or fighters in the immediate vicinity of the areas that were struck. This suggests that the attacks may have violated international humanitarian law and may, in some circumstances, constitute war crimes.
In one of the deadliest attacks documented in the briefing three missiles were fired on a busy market in the center of Ariha in Idlib governorate killing 49 civilians. Witnesses described how within seconds the bustling Sunday market turned to a scene of carnage.
It is clear that Russian media and news agencies are lying to their audience first and to the international community second. But the truth about the brutal Russian war in Syria can never be concealed under the smoke of bombs any longer.
When the world knows that Putin intervened militarily in Syria under the pretext of fighting ISIS. The world knows that this is not his intention, nor has it materialized. ISIS is still safe and sound, thanks to Putin’s lies.
Another example of Putin’s media Goebbelism is Chechen where he also claimed he did not touch civilians. Like Assad, Putin cannot tell the truth; it is too hard and too harsh. ICC should open its doors for such people.
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