Civilian population was not hurt in Syria as a result of Russian air strikes, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (October 1) at a meeting of the civil society and human rights council.
Putin pointed out Russia was not the first country to carry out air raids in the Middle Eastern country struck by civil war.
“Other countries have been carrying out strikes on the Syrian territory for more than a year, without the UN Security Council resolution and without the respective request to Syria’s official authorities. We have (made) such a request. And we have the intention of fighting specifically against terrorist organiSations,” the President said.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it had carried out about 20 flights over Syria on Wednesday (September 30), hitting eight Islamic State targets.
Russian air strikes in Syria killed at least 36 civilians and targeted areas where Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked fighters are not present, the head of the Western-backed Syrian political opposition said.
On the second day of their air campaign, Russian jets struck targets near the cities of Hama and Homs in western Syria.
Moscow said it had hit Islamic State positions, but the areas it struck are mostly held by a rival insurgent alliance, which unlike Islamic State, is supported by U.S. allies including Arab states and Turkey.
Putin dismissed the allegations of victims among the civilians as ‘informational attacks’.
“As to different information in the media, saying that there are victims among the civilians, we are ready for these informational attacks. I am drawing your attention to the fact that the first information about victims among the civilian population appeared before our planes were in the air,” he said.
Putin also expressed hopes an agreement struck between pro-Russian separatists and Kiev in Minsk on Tuesday (September 29) holds.
“Now you know thank God, there are no serious clashes there (in eastern Ukraine), there is no shelling. I hope it will stop completely after the withdrawal of arms of less than one hundred millimetre calibre. And I’m counting on the fact that the Minsk agreements will be carried out. We will talk about it tomorrow in Paris,” Russian president said.
A separatist representative to east Ukraine peace talks said on Wednesday (September 30) an agreement signed with Kiev this week to withdraw more weapons could mean an end to the war with the Ukrainian government, separatist website DAN reported.
It said rebel leaders had signed the agreement to extend a pull-back of weapons to include tanks and smaller weapons systems, as part of a 12-point peace plan designed to end a conflict that has killed over 8,000 people since April 2014.
On Friday (October 2), Putin will meet Ukraine’s Poroshenko along with French President Francois Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris to discuss the Ukrainian conflict and the Minsk deal they agreed in February in the capital of Belarus. (Reuters)