MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) are plotting a provocation in the west of Syria’s Idlib governorate ahead of the presidential elections, Alexander Karpov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, said on Sunday.

"The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria has received information that militants from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist group are plotting a provocation with the use of toxic agents in the western areas of the Idlib governorate," he said.

According to Karpov, terrorists and activists of the White Helmets pseudo-humanitarian organization have delivered six tanks with toxic agents, supposedly chlorine, to the settlement of Jisr al-Shugur. "According to our information, militants are planning to stage a false chemical attack, with casualties among the local residents, ahead of the presidential elections in Syria," he said, adding that the militants plan to blame Syrian government forces for the use of chemical weapons against civilians.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes and evacuation of civilians from de-escalation zones.