MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Russia has opened the doors of its Khmeimim military base to Syrian citizens seeking refuge, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"The Russian Khmeimim airbase opened its doors to local residents seeking refuge from the violence and attacks. They were looking for rescue, they simply realized that it was a matter of life and death. And our servicemen sheltered more than 8,000, that's the statistic as of yesterday, more than 8,000, maybe even closer to 9,000 Syrians. We're talking about mostly women, children. And I think this is the best answer to the question of our real contribution to the fate of Syrians," the diplomat said.

According to Zakharova, Russia is shocked by the tragic events in Syria. "The victims were innocent, peaceful civilians. The use of force against civilians is categorically unacceptable. It can in no way be justified," she pointed out. "We are certainly concerned about the developments in Syria and strongly condemn the massacres. Of course, we sympathize with the families of the victims," the diplomat added.

The spokeswoman emphasized that Russia assumes that "the current authorities in Damascus are aware of their responsibility to ensure the protection and legal rights of all Syrian citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation." "Of course, we are closely following their efforts to balance the law and order situation. You have seen, I think, that the Syrian leadership has reaffirmed its commitment to preserving national unity and has done so publicly. <...> A special commission has been set up to establish the circumstances of what happened. We hope that an objective investigation will identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. Ensuring civil peace and harmony is the most important task facing the Syrian authorities in the difficult conditions of the so-called transition period," Zakharova added.