MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. An evacuation operation in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, which is a suburb of Damascus, had been accompanied by a media campaign in support of militants, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, the operation - and we are used to it already - was accompanied by a disguised campaign in support of the militants," Lavrov said after his talks with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
"Fake media reports were used as tools about hunger as a result of the siege, about indiscriminate bombings, which allegedly included the use of prohibited arms," the Russian foreign minister said.
"Exaggerated reports on allegations of Syrian state troops’ use of chemical weapons were once again in action, despite the absurdity of such allegations even from the military and tactical point of view," Lavrov said.
The evacuation
The majority of militants have been evacuated from Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, which is a suburb of Damascus, and the territory is now in full control of the Syrian government troops, Lavrov pointed out.
"As of now, the majority of the militants have been evacuated," Lavrov said. "Efforts to restore peaceful life are underway and 90% of Eastern Ghouta is under control of government forces,"
""It is extremely important to render assistance to internally displaced civilians," Lavrov noted. "We hope that the UN will increase its participation in collective efforts to assist the residents of districts, which were subjected to devastation as a result of terrorists’ actions, so that peaceful citizens return to their homes."