6,969 Civilians Killed, 44 Percent of Them Women and Children, and 1,251 Attacks on Vital Civilian Facilities, at the Hands of Russian Forces
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Press release: (Download the full report below)
The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today released its ninth annual report on the most notable violations by Russian forces since the launch of Russia’s military intervention on September 30, 2015. In the latest report, the group reveals that Russian forces have killed 6,969 civilians to date in Syria, 44 percent of whom were women and children. Russian forces have also carried out 1,251 attacks on vital civilian facilities.
The 32-page report notes that, since Russia officially launched its military intervention in Syria on September 30, 2015, thus becoming a full-fledged party to the Syrian conflict, SNHR has documented numerous human rights violations perpetrated by Russia’s armed forces. Indeed, Moscow had adopted a very clear stance from the very beginning of the popular uprising that began in March 2011 calling for a political change and the end of the absolute, authoritarian hereditary rule of the Assad family that has ruled Syria since 1970. In keeping with this position, Russia has thrown all its political weight behind the Syrian regime. Russia has also backed the regime militarily, with actions ranging from providing military advice, to subsequently launching a direct and massive military intervention, which is wholly illegitimate, as SNHR has explained in numerous reports, since it is based on receiving the approval of a regime that attained and has clung to power through military brute force, rather than through constitutional means or democratic elections. The report also notes that that Russia’s military intervention has involved innumerable human rights violations including killing, large-scale destruction, forced displacement, the use of cluster munitions, and the bombardment of vital civilian facilities.
In the words of Fadel Abdul Ghany, SNHR Executive Director:
“Russia has never launched even one investigation into any violations committed by its forces, nor has it held accountable any commander for the bombing of hospitals, markets, and schools despite having committed thousands of human rights violations. On the contrary, Moscow has been denying the credibility of documented reports, and calling them fabrications and misinformation, sinking to the same level as the Syrian regime. Moscow must uphold its legal responsibilities, launch serious investigations, and start compensating victims.”
The report notes that Russia’s military intervention has helped the regime to recapture large areas that broke out of the regime’s control in the period 2011-2015. This is far from the only Russian violation against Syria’s people; Russia has supported the Syrian regime in every conceivable way, including providing supposed justifications for the use of chemical weapons, trying to undermine the credibility of the reports issued by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), exploiting cross-border humanitarian aid, using its media platforms to spread pro-regime propaganda, and trying to rehabilitate and polish the Syrian regime’s image. On the political front, Moscow’s support has been manifested by blocking any international condemnation of the Syrian regime at the UN Security Council. In fact, Russia has crippled the Security Council in regard to holding the Syrian regime accountable for the crimes against humanity. Russia has used its veto powers 18 times to date, four before its military intervention in 2015, and 14 more times since then, which indicates its involvement in the commission of widespread violations with the Syrian regime, and its desire to shield itself from any referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Russia has also voted at all Human Rights Council (HRC) sessions against any resolutions condemning the savage brutality used by the regime against Syrian dissidents, on a total of 21 occasions. In addition to all these points, Russia has instructed its allies at the HRC, including Algeria, Venezuela, and Cuba, to vote in favor of the Syrian regime.
The report stresses that SNHR has been able to construct a large database containing compelling evidence on the violations committed by Russian forces in unlawful attacks in Syria, many of which amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes. On this subject, SNHR has published news articles on all the most prominent attacks by Russian forces documented by the group. The report adds that SNHR has also consistently worked tirelessly to supply detailed reports and investigations recording all the attacks by Russian forces that resulted in massacres or the destruction of primary service civilian facilities, such as hospitals and schools, or involving the use of internationally prohibited weapons, such as cluster munitions. This work has been carried out in addition to SNHR’s annual report that we release on September 30 of every year. Furthermore, the report notes that SNHR has worked steadfastly to expose Russia’s pro-regime practices and crimes against the Syrian people since the start of the popular uprising for democracy in Syria in March 2011. These includes Russia’s support for the regime in the economic, political, and international spheres.
The report provides an updated breakdown of the most notable human rights violations committed by Russian forces since the launch of the military intervention on September 30, 2015, up until September 30, 2024. In assigning culpability to Russia in certain attacks, the report explains, SNHR draws upon a wide range of scrupulously cross-checked information, statements by Russian officials, and a large number of first-hand accounts.
The report further notes that, as SNHR’s database attests, Russian forces in Syria have killed 6,969 civilians, including 2,055 children and 983 women (adult female) to date, and committed no fewer than 362 massacres. Analysis of the data shows that the intervention’s first year (2015-2016) was the bloodiest to date, with 3,564 civilians killed, accounting for about 51 percent of all victims killed to date, while Aleppo governorate saw the most victims (around 41 percent) followed by Idlib (38 percent).
Furthermore, the report documents that Russian forces have so far killed 70 medical personnel, including 12 women, mostly in Idlib governorate, with the highest proportion of these victims also killed in the first year of the intervention, as well as 24 media workers, all of whom were killed in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib.
As the report further reveals, Russia has carried out no fewer than 1,251 attacks on vital civilian facilities, including 224 schools, 209 medical facilities, and 61 markets, since the launch of its military intervention. As the graphs included in the report show, the intervention’s first year saw 452 attacks on vital civilian facilities by Russian forces, with Idlib being subjected to the largest number of attacks, 633 in all, accounting for 51 percent of the total.
The report also reveals that Russian forces have carried out at least 237 cluster munition attacks and no fewer than 125 attacks using incendiary materials since the launch of Russia’s military intervention on September 30, 2015.
The report stresses that the ferocious level of violence shown in Russia’s attacks has played a major role in displacement movements in Syria, with Russian attacks, in parallel with those of the Syrian-Iranian alliance, leading to the displacement of approximately 4.9 million people, most of whom have been displaced more than once.
The report concludes by reiterating that the Russian regime has been implicated since the very start of the uprising for freedom in supporting the Syrian regime, which has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Syrian people, by providing the regime with weapons, military expertise, and direct military intervention on the side of the regime. The report further notes that Russia has frequently used its right to veto despite becoming a direct party to the Syrian conflict, which is a blatant violation of the United Nations’ Charter. All of Russia’s vetoes have been employed by the Syrian regime to ensure its impunity, the report adds, further noting that the Russian authorities have not conducted any serious investigations into any of the attacks listed in this report or in previous reports. The report holds the Russian leadership, both military and political, responsible for all of these attacks, based on the principle of command responsibility under international humanitarian law.
The report calls on the UN Security Council to refer the Syrian case to the International Criminal Court and to hold all those involved accountable. It further calls on the international community to increase support for relief efforts, and to endeavor to employ universal jurisdiction for these crimes in fair trials held in national courts to ensure that all perpetrators are held to account, to support the political transition process, and to put pressure on all parties to oblige them to implement the political transition process within no more than six months.
The report additionally recommends that the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (COI) should conduct extensive investigations into the incidents included in this report and should clearly hold the Russian forces involved responsible if sufficient evidence is found of their involvement. It further calls on the European Union to impose economic sanctions on Russia for the crimes against humanity and war crimes it has perpetrated in Syria, as well as making a number of other recommendations.