Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
May 28, 2021
The Russian President’s recent remarks about the Russian army’s testing of new weapons in Syria, following similar statements by his defense minister that Russia ‘fine-tuned’ 300 types of new weapons, exposed one of the criminal aspects of the Russian aggression on Syria.
In 2019, in one instance of the ‘fine-tuning’ of weapons that Putin is bragging about, the Russian occupation jets bombed four hospitals in Syria in just 12 hours. As of the end of September 2015, the Russian forces carried out no fewer than least 350 deadly attacks in Syria, targeting more than 220 schools and 210 hospitals, medical centers and clinics.
We condemn the Kremlin’s bragging and its attempt to market the tools of murder at the expense of the blood of the innocent people whose country has been turned into a testing ground.
For the past several years, Russia’s regional and international role has been limited to spreading chaos. Since 1990, Russia has failed to present any example of good or just governance, and it is still subject to one-man rule and an authoritarian intelligence regime that cracks down on opponents by poisoning or imprisonment.
There is nothing “unique” or distinct about the means of killing and destruction that Russia is bragging about. Facts on the ground confirm that it was nothing but a means of mass killing civilians and committing war crimes. The Russian forces did not engage in any confrontation against military forces that possess air defenses or air forces in Syria. However, it was unable to bring the Syrian people to their knees or achieve any decisive or strategic victory.
Accountability for war criminals will not take long, and all those who have committed crimes against the Syrian people will be brought to justice. Syrian activists and human rights defenders around the world will continue to track down those responsible for crimes everywhere until they face the punishment they deserve.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) reaffirms the international community’s responsibility towards Russia’s crimes. It calls for the establishment of effective mechanisms to stop its disruptive and criminal role, stressing the need to take more serous action and exert real pressure to bring about a political transition in the country.
