Russia faces accusations of war crimes in Syria

Russia has been directly and repeatedly accused of war crimes during a UN Security Council session, writes the British Guardian, reports NAP. Hopes for the re-establishment of a ceasefire have almost disappeared due to the intensity of Syrian regime attacks on eastern Aleppo.

The accusations of war crimes are based on the extensive use of bunker-buster and incendiary bombs targeting 275,000 civilians living in rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the city; bombs that those accusing Moscow claim were dropped from Russian aircraft.

- Bunker-buster bombs, which are more suitable for destroying military installations, are now destroying houses and shelters, killing and massacring dozens, if not hundreds, of people, said Matthew Rycroft, the British Ambassador to the UN, at an emergency session of the Security Council held on Sunday, adding:

- Incendiary munitions, which are indiscriminate in their reach, are being dropped on civilian areas, so Aleppo is burning again. Water supplies, vital for millions of people, are also being targeted. In short, it is difficult to deny that Russia, in partnership with the Syrian regime, is committing war crimes, Rycroft concluded.

As a protest against the regime's campaign, Rycroft left the hall with his American and French colleagues before the Syrian government representative took the floor.

In yesterday's appearance on Andrew Marr's show on BBC1, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stated that the West lacks a firm military strategy in Syria, and that Russia could be guilty of war crimes if it turns out to have been involved in bombing civilian targets.

Despite admitting a lack of strategy, Johnson asserted that there was no ambition for a different military action, stating that the best way to force Moscow to withdraw was to publicly shame it.

Regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin, Johnson said:

- Putin's regime is not just providing Assad with a revolver; in some cases, it (the regime) is pulling the trigger, writes the Guardian.