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Syria conflict: 34% rise in civilian deaths caused by Russian airstrikes, report finds

Spike in first half of 2018 corresponds with huge Russian-backed Syrian government offensives to retake eastern Ghouta and Deraa province from rebel hands

Bethan McKernan
Wednesday 25 July 2018 17:23 BST
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Destroyed buildings in Douma, in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, photographed on 5 March 2018 during the Syrian government's campaign to retake the area
Destroyed buildings in Douma, in the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus, photographed on 5 March 2018 during the Syrian government's campaign to retake the area

The brutal toll of major Russian-backed Syrian government assaults on rebel-held parts of the country so far this year has been highlighted in a new report which found that Russian airstrikes have killed at least 2,882 civilians in 2018 so far.

Research by Airwars, a UK-based not-for-profit tracking the cost of airstrikes on civilian populations in Syria, Iraq and Libya, found there had been a 34 per cent increase in incidents of civilian harm caused by Russia during the first six months of this year compared to 2017.

Airwars documented a new total of 3,445 civilian casualties which can be directly linked to Russian aircraft, but noted that the actual number of deaths could be as high as 18,000.

To date, the Russian government has not acknowledged responsibility for any civilian casualties in its operations.

The 2018 spike corresponds with huge offensives from Syrian president Bashar al Assad to retake eastern Ghouta in Damascus and southern Deraa province, two of the last rebel strongholds in the country.

The Ghouta operation in April also saw the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, which killed up to 85 people and led to retaliatory strikes on a Syrian military base by US President Donald Trump.

“This huge jump is reflective of the aggressive campaigns Russia has been involved in this year,” Airwars director Chris Woods told The Independent. “With every international belligerent in Syria we see very poor outcomes for civilians but we do not generally see deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure with the US coalition like we do with Russia.

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“Ultimately, Russia is ensuring the survival of the Assad government at any cost.”

The six-month report also found that deaths caused by the US-led coalition against Isis in Syria dropped sharply in the first six months of 2018 compared to 2017, but despite the conclusion of the Raqqa campaign last year, coalition action had still killed between 272 and 460 civilians.

Airwars estimates the international coalition has killed up to 26,112 civilians since it began bombing Isis positions in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

The alliance itself has so far conceded 939 civilian deaths resulting from 237 airstrikes.

Russia began military aid to the Syrian government in 2015, a move which eventually turned the tide of the war decisively in president Assad’s favour.

While Washington and Moscow have backed opposing sides in Syria’s complex seven-year-old conflict US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin suggested they may find “common ground” for military cooperation in the conflict after a bilateral meeting in Helsinki.

No further details have emerged of any agreements reached by the two leaders.

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