"We have carefully studied the report by the Atlantic Council, dedicated to the operation of the Syrian troops to liberate Aleppo, but have found nothing new there. All 'accusations' and propaganda canards stated there have long been refuted. Even twice: using the facts at our official briefings and through life, in the testimony and interviews of thousands of residents of the eastern districts of Aleppo returning to normal peaceful life," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
The spokesman stressed that the report lacked any credibility.
"It seems that the report was made up out of the year reviews on the wasted budgets of its lame duck authors: Bellingcat, Aleppo Media Center, Syrian American Medical Society, The White Helmets and others," he said.
Konashenkov said that it was not a coincidence that the report never mentioned the mined schools, the warehouses of ammunition and firing positions in closed hospitals, the militant warehouses stuffed with groceries, drugs and medical equipment, mass graves of civilians shot in the head: from children to the elderly.
"Everything that the real citizens of eastern Aleppo have been left with after the departure of those clowns in white masks to Idlib. And what the real Russian and Western journalists, who personally visited eastern Aleppo, saw with their own eyes and recorded with their cameras," he concluded.
Atlantic Council was founded in 1961 as a platform for researching and discussing economic and political issues. The organization lists the United Arab Emirates, the US Department of State, the Turkish Ministry of Energy and National Resources, the Ukrainian World Congress, the Swedish government, Kingdom of Bahrain and the European Union among its donors.
Russia has stated repeatedly that its aviation only targets terrorists in Syria. In October 2016, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that no proof, such as satellite data, geolocation or other evidence, was given to back up the claim that Russia targeted civilians. The Russian Defense Ministry has stressed that it carefully verifies the reconnaissance data and targets only terrorists.
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