Statement by Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Here is our comment. We would like it to be published in full with links:
This is a clear attempt to discredit Russia’s efforts in the fight against international terrorism. President Putin
told recently about its positive results. One of the main reasons to begin the Russian Aerospace Forces
operation in Syria was the desire to provide security of our country on its remote frontiers, to neutralize the
extremists (expatriates from CIS countries and Russia). This goal has been achieved.
President Putin: As a result of the operation, 8,000 units of armoured vehicles and pick-up trucks outfitted with
heavy machine guns were destroyed, plus 718 factories and workshops that made weapons and ammunition;
60,318 militants were taken out, including, 819 leaders of illegal formations and 2,840 nationals of the Russian
Federation.
(http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56472#sel=47:1:Dj1,47:52:IU3)
During the operation the effectiveness of Russia’s actions, including their humanitarian component, was
constantly disparaged and misinterpreted, including Russian Chechens as members of the Russian military
police peacekeeping Aleppo and de-escalation zones, delivering humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. Now
they try to interpret the rescue of women and children as a disguise to evacuate terrorists. We have never
protected nor harbored terrorists. We fight them everywhere. The situation with Russian citizens - women and
children, who ended up in Syria and Iraq, requires immediate attention and a prompt effective solution.
(http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56378#sel=495:1:DNP,509:101:rm6)
This is a tragedy for the families and for our society. We all want the Russian children to return home, to their
Russian families, where it is possible. The head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov plays a positive role in
resolving this issue. He does it responsibly, dignified and as transparently as possible. It is hard to come up
with anything more absurd than this attempt to present such a noble work as a secret operation.
We view the attempt of a number of media to discredit Ramzan Kadyrov’s actions as a way to distract attention
from the uncovered facts of evacuating militants from Rakka with the help of the Western coalition and,
possibly, from other similar incidents. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/raqqas_dirty_secret)