Sir, – Further to "Two years on, Russia's role in Syria has given it clout" (October 3rd), we strongly disagree with the notion of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that the Russian Aerospace Forces have been targeting the civilian population in Syria. Such allegations are totally false. As any non-biased observer would note, the Russian ministry of defence has been double-checking all intelligence data to avoid civilian casualties. Russian military pilots take extreme and extra care every time they go after terrorist groups Isis and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), whom they have as their own only and exclusive targets.
As for the civilian population, it is exactly Russian military that help Syrians trapped in the midst of war on terrorism. Russia delivers regular and significant amounts of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people in Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Mahardah, etc: food, medical supplies, blankets and basic necessities. The Russian military takes part in mine-clearing of the territories liberated from terrorists. Of course, much more should be done to overcome current humanitarian crisis. That is why we expect that our international partners will join our efforts in delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian population. – Yours, etc,
VASILY VELICHKIN,
Press Secretary,
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Embassy of the Russian
Federation in Ireland,
Orwell Road,
Rathgar,Dublin 14.