MOSCOW, May 6 /TASS/. Russia is exerting every effort to spread the "silence regime", which has proven to be positive in the north of the Syrian province of Latakia and in Eastern Guta in recent days, to Aleppo, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
She called attention to a number of media publications about the situation in Aleppo. "It seems that we are dealing with an engaged approach. Traditional accusations, based on extremely dubious sources, are being launched against the Syrian government for its ‘aggressive’ steps, which are allegedly, I quote, ‘putting the regime of hostilities of the ceasefire regime on the verge of disruption and hindering progress at the inter-Syrian negotiations in Geneva," the Russian diplomat said referring to the media reports.
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Zakharova added that the government troops were not to blame for the recent aggravation of tensions in Aleppo where the situation was really dramatic. "The main reason are provocations staged by terrorists who are doing their best to disrupt the regime of cessation of military hostilities, which was established in Syria on February 27 following a joint statement by Russia and the United States as of February 22, 2016," Zakharova said.
"Hiding behind the backs of opposition armed groups and forging tactical alliances with them on and off, Jebhat al-Nusra [a terrorist group banned in Russia] is trying to recoup its losses through the inflow of new militants and weapons via the Turkish-Syrian border," the diplomat said.
To confirm her words, Zakharova said that after reinforcements the terrorists attacked the positions of the Syrian army and the militias on May 1 and 3. The militants used self-made missile systems of the Hellfire type to subject some residential areas in Aleppo to massive missile and mortar attacks.
"The aforesaid type of weapon consists of gas cylinders stuffed with small pieces of metal litter and explosives. It has an indiscriminate destructive effect and is designed to exterminate rather than intimidate civilian population," the Russian diplomat stressed.
She added that terrorists used multiple rocket launchers to shell a maternity home in Aleppo where 17 people, including children and pregnant women, died and 68 peaceful civilians were injured. Another six people died and dozens were injured in other Aleppo neighborhoods.
"These methods are being used by terrorists, who until recently have been called ‘moderate opposition’. Its members are either hiding or are present in the ranks of terrorist organizations," Zakharova concluded.