The Russian Foreign Ministry has slammed the claims about the alleged "Syrian origin" of sarin used in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the Idlib province as "baseless."
"As for the address of the US ambassador [to the UN Nikky Haley], there is nothing new here — baseless accusations of Damascus using chemical weapons, absolutely inadequate hints at Russia, which does not do give credit to the US ambassador to the United Nations neither in terms of diplomatic ethics, nor from the point of view of common sense," spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated.
Haley has accused Moscow of attempts to undermine the investigation into chemical attacks in Syria and divide the UN Security Council.
UN-OPCW Report Blames Damascus for Idlib Chemical Attack, Moscow Strikes Back
According to the newly released UN-OPCW report, the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad is allegedly responsible for the use of sarin in Idlib, while Daesh terrorist group is responsible for the use of sulfur mustard in Umm Hawsh.
Moscow has slammed the document, stating that the report looked more like an amateur document, and was based mostly on assumptions and the selective use of facts.
Following the report's release, the Russian Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Industry and Trade have presented their own report on chemical attacks in Syria, debunking all three main points in the document, which allegedly prove Damascus' involvement in the incident.
READ MORE: Russia Debunks UN-OPCW Report Blaming Damascus for Idlib Chemical Attack
Most recently, Syrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari has rejected the allegations presented in the report and emphasized that the investigators had not visited Khan Sheikhoun and the Shairat airbase, which was allegedly used by Syrian troops to stage the chemical attack.
Khan Sheikhoun Incident
The Khan Sheikhoun incident that took place in Syria's Idlib province on April 4, 2017, left 80 people dead and injured 200 more. While the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, supported by the United States, immediately blamed the Syrian government for using the chemical weapons against civilian population, Damascus has strongly denied the allegations and reiterated that it does not possess any chemical weapons' arsenal, the full destruction of which was confirmed by the OPCW.
Commenting on the accusations against the Syrian government, Russia has repeatedly reiterated its position that all chemical weapons were taken out of Syria in mid-2014 with Washington's assistance and called for a thorough probe into the Khan Sheikhoun events.
