Photo by: Russian Ministry of Defense
[04 October 2017] As Russia enters its third year of intervention in Syria, the Syrian Network for Human Rights has released a new report documenting widespread Russian war crimes across Syria. Since its intervention in September 2015, Russian forces have killed 5,233 civilians – almost half of them women and children. Additionally, Russian forces have been responsible for more than 700 attacks on civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and schools, 212 attacks using cluster munitions and 105 attacks using incendiary weapons.
“Russia has consistently defended its intervention by touting the need to defeat ISIS – but our documentation shows that just 15% of Russian attacks have targeted ISIS-held areas. The vast majority of Russian attacks – a staggering 85% – have targeted opposition-held areas,” said Fadel Abdul Ghany, the Executive Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights. “The consequences of Russia’s intervention have been catastrophic for the Syrian people. In addition to the civilians killed, Syrian Russia’s intervention has forced 2.3 million people out of their homes. Clearly, this is not about terrorism, it is about forcing a population to surrender or die. Russia cannot be considered a partner in peace while it is actively participating in war crimes against the Syrian civilian population.”
