MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia has no intentions of launching an offensive on Syria's Aleppo and is carrying out a purely humanitarian operation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday.
"There are no plans of an offensive in Aleppo neither by Syrian forces, nor through airstrikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces," Ryabkov told reporters. "Absolutely false and harmful interpretations of our actions are voiced by certain circles in Washington."
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
Aleppo is partially controlled by Jabhat Fatah al Sham (previously known as the al-Nusra Front), a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and other countries along with Daesh.
