"At the time when they were in the area, shooting began from the part of the town where there were still a few dozen extremists, who were clearly warned ahead about who specifically will be arriving in the area and for what purpose," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
A group of UN security personnel that visited Duma to assess the situation in the town ahead of the work of OPCW experts came under fire from militants on Wednesday. None of the UN officers were injured, but the attack hampered the OPCW's on-site probe into the alleged use of chemical weapons in Douma on April 7.
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The top diplomat told Sputnik that Moscow is "concerned about a number of players are trying to obstruct the activities of the OPCW. We do not doubt that high-level professionals are working in the OPCW, both in the Hague and in its visiting missions. However, we also can not exclude, because there is certain evidence of it, that these experts, these scientists could be used for political purposes."
According to the Russian minister, certain forces wanted to prevent OPCW experts from promptly reaching the site of alleged chemical attack in Syria's Duma.
The White Helmets' footage has been proven to be fake by a doctor working at the hospital, where it was filmed, as well as by a boy used in the filming and his father. Moscow maintains the provocation was used to trigger a US strike on Syria and warned about such a development a month before the attack.