Russia killed civilians in air strikes in Syria, UN investigators said on Monday, actions it said could amount to war crimes by Moscow.
“RUSSIA VIOLATED THE TERMS OF AGREEMENT”
A report by a UN commission, covering the period from July, 2019 to Feb 2020, found that Russia conducted air strikes on a popular market and a camp for displaced people that killed dozens of civilians in July and August.
“In both incidents, the Russian Air Force did not direct the attacks at a specific military objective, amounting to the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas,” it said.
The report blamed Russia for a strike in the city of Maarat al-Numan on July 22, when at least 43 civilians were killed. Two residential buildings and 25 shops were destroyed after at least two Russian planes left Hmeimim air base and circled the area.
“Based on the evidence available, including witness testimonies, video footage, data imagery as well as reports by flight spotters, flight communication intercepts and early warning observation reports, the Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that a Russian aircraft participated in each incident described above,” it said.