Kremlin is using falsehoods and atrocities in repeat of Syria strategy
It’s frustrating and scary to see Russia using the same strategy and playbook in Ukraine as they used in Syria. We’re all too familiar with it and are worried for Ukrainian civilians. Lest we forget, the Russians are masters of misinformation.
Since the beginning of its intervention in Syria in 2015, when Russia prepared for attacks, they spread falsehoods. Then the Syrian regime would carry out chemical attacks and Russia’s role would be to create confusion about the truth by leveraging all its platforms including the UN.
The Russian campaign against individual White Helmets volunteers and our organisation as a whole accused us of staging chemical attacks or fabricating rescue operations. All of this was to shift suspicion away from the Russian and Syrian regime forces.
The disinformation campaign affected me personally and is still ongoing. This is the heart of Russian propaganda – to obfuscate the truth until it is difficult to recognise reality, and to seed doubt about even the most obvious atrocities against innocent civilians.
Today, we can see the same methods in Ukraine. Fabrications to legitimise their attacks, with an army of social media accounts and dozens of obscure writers who promote the justifications.
One example of this misinformation campaign is the misleading tweets the Russian embassy in London made regarding the pregnant woman in Mariupol, even though they were later deleted.
When I saw the aftermath of Russian air strikes on the maternity hospital, it was as if history was repeating itself. We have witnessed these same horrific attacks on Syrian hospitals. Even the injured women’s dazed gaze looked similar. The time and the place may change, but the victims and the perpetrator remain the same.
Some might ask why they target hospitals. It is because it means deaths and casualties will be even greater. Without hospitals, it is impossible for civilians to continue living in cities for a long time.
This is one of many reasons why so many civilians are displaced, why so many have fled without a second thought. This is a key strategic tactic Russia uses to empty cities.
It’s frustrating to witness the world allowing these tragedies to be repeated. We know the scale of tragedy. No one is off limits: children, schools, hospitals and humanitarian aid workers are all fair game.
I’m sure that Vladimir Putin has been emboldened by the lack of accountability and the impunity he enjoyed in Syria. The world missed an opportunity to confront him and is now seeing the fallout.
The way the UN has approached Russian’s interventions has made things worse. Telling its staff to avoid using the terms war and invasion in favour of Russia’s preferred terms is just pandering to Moscow.
Another example is the mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian aid, which is renewed at the UN every year. Russia is weaponising humanitarian aid via the UN, using the border crossing for its delivery as a bargaining chip. They’re blackmailing the West with the aid that the West is paying for.
The international community was not interested in holding Russia accountable for its war crimes in Syria but because of what is happening in Ukraine it has now started to look at Russia as a threat to the overall stability of the international order.
If Russia is not held accountable for its invasion of Ukraine, Putin will invade elsewhere and commit more violations. The whole story will repeat itself.
We need to pursue justice so no dictator or country can feel they have the green light to commit atrocities.
Today we expect actions from the international community. For years in Syria we only had words – and it is the same now in Ukraine.
Why is the international community so lenient with Putin? I understand there is the risk of sparking World War Three, but leaving the Russian regime to attack countries one after another is a global war, too. No one will be safe.
‘If Russia is not held accountable, Putin will invade elsewhere and commit more violations’