Russia: White Helmets Funded by Western Spy Agencies
MOSCOW (Dispatches) – The so-called civil defense group White Helmets is funded by Western spy agencies and it is waging an information war against the Syrian people, Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin says.
"The White Helmets is an organization financed by intelligence services overseas and in Britain, fulfilling their objective within the framework of an information war that they wage against the Syrian people, against the Syrian Arab Republic,” he said.
Naryshkin also said the Russian military has proven that the footage of alleged chemical weapon use in Syria’s Douma is fake.
"Two years ago, shocking footage was spread across the world, which allegedly shows the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government army in the Syrian city of Douma against the civilian population. In a short period of time, the Russian military, along with reporters and Syrian citizens, held their own investigation, conclusively proving that the footage provided by the odious White Helmets organization is fake,” the Russian foreign intelligence chief noted.
He added that the exhibition was organized based on materials presented in the book "The White Helmets: terrorist accomplices and disinformation sources,” which consists of over 100 interviews with former members of the organization, Syrian civilians and witnesses of the events.
"Even a cursory examination of the materials presented at the exhibition and in the book provides insight into the cynical information war waged by Western special services against the Syrian population and the Syrian lawful government, using the White Helmets odious organization for those purposes,” Naryshkin added.
The White Helmets group is known for its coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks aimed at falsely incriminating Syrian government forces and inventing pretexts for possible acts of aggression on army troops by a U.S.-led military coalition that has been present in Syria since roughly 2014.
The group has been involved in such attacks before.
Syria views the White Helmets as "a branch of al-Qaeda and al-Nusra” militant outfits and a "PR stunt” by the U.S., the UK and France.
"The White Helmets is an organization financed by intelligence services overseas and in Britain, fulfilling their objective within the framework of an information war that they wage against the Syrian people, against the Syrian Arab Republic,” he said.
Naryshkin also said the Russian military has proven that the footage of alleged chemical weapon use in Syria’s Douma is fake.
"Two years ago, shocking footage was spread across the world, which allegedly shows the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government army in the Syrian city of Douma against the civilian population. In a short period of time, the Russian military, along with reporters and Syrian citizens, held their own investigation, conclusively proving that the footage provided by the odious White Helmets organization is fake,” the Russian foreign intelligence chief noted.
He added that the exhibition was organized based on materials presented in the book "The White Helmets: terrorist accomplices and disinformation sources,” which consists of over 100 interviews with former members of the organization, Syrian civilians and witnesses of the events.
"Even a cursory examination of the materials presented at the exhibition and in the book provides insight into the cynical information war waged by Western special services against the Syrian population and the Syrian lawful government, using the White Helmets odious organization for those purposes,” Naryshkin added.
The White Helmets group is known for its coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks aimed at falsely incriminating Syrian government forces and inventing pretexts for possible acts of aggression on army troops by a U.S.-led military coalition that has been present in Syria since roughly 2014.
The group has been involved in such attacks before.
Syria views the White Helmets as "a branch of al-Qaeda and al-Nusra” militant outfits and a "PR stunt” by the U.S., the UK and France.