Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said the Assad regime has stopped using barrel bombs in the ongoing war, adding there is no longer a need for the Security Council to discuss a draft resolution threatening sanctions against Syria because of Assad has stopped using this weapon.
In a press statement, Churkin said that his country has been in talks with the Assad regime to convince them of using utmost restraint and to avoid causing civilian casualties. He added that Russia has discussed the issue of barrel bombing with the Assad regime.
Churkin added that he hopes this issue comes to an end as these random weapons will not be used any longer.
The Russian statement directly contradicts Bashar al-Assad who in television interviews has denied using barrel bombs in the war.
The Syrian Coalition persistently calls on the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution that prohibits the use of barrel bombs. It stresses that using these weapons violate UNSC resolution 2139, which bans the indiscriminate bombardment of civilians.
The Syrian Coalition also urges Russia to stop its aggression and air raids on Syrian civilians, which are no less murderous and deadly than Assad’s barrel bombs as 1,716 civilians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Russian airstrikes on Syria.
The Syrian Coalition calls upon the UN Security Council to take “firm and effective action” to stop the Russian aggression on the Syrian people. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Agencies)
