Russia rejects UN accusation of ‘war crimes’ in Idlib

The Kremlin has rejected a UN inquiry report which accuses Russia of committing “war crimes” in the Syrian province of Idlib.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which released its report on Monday, was not familiar with the field conditions in Syria.

“It is obvious that no commission could have obtained reliable information about what is happening on the ground,” said Peskov.

READ: UN accuses Russia, Syria, Kurdish militias of committing war crimes

The conclusions, he added, are “one-sided” because the UN report did not include any information about terrorist activities in the area. “We absolutely do not accept the allegations contained in the report.”

The UN report covers the period from July 2019 to February 2020 during which, it is alleged, Russia committed war crimes by launching indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.

Air strikes on a crowded market in the city of Maarat Al-Numan on 22 July last year and a camp for displaced persons in Hass in rural Idlib on 16 August were cited by the UN.