Russian military: We have not hit civilian targets in Syria

The Russian military says it has not hit civilian targets in Syria since it first started its bombing campaign three months ago. A senior Russian officer said Russian pilots were so well-trained they “never missed their targets”. It came after a report from Amnesty International earlier this week which claimed Russian airstrikes had killed hundreds of civilians - so many it could amount to a war crime.

The Military Space Forces have never hit civilian targets in Syria.

The commander-in-chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces speaking to the Rossiya 24 television channel

The commander-in-chief of Russia’s Aerospace Forces added they have “never missed their targets, have never hit … so-called sensitive places: schools, hospitals, mosques”. On Friday, Russia’s defence ministry released footage of a strike on a convoy it says was smuggling oil across the Turkey-Syria border. Russian bombing began on 30 September prompting criticism from the US and the British Government, which accused Vladimir Putin of just acting to bolster Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Some Russian airstrikes appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians. Such attacks may amount to war crimes.

Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Amnesty International

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