This is based on the bigoted belief that any Syrian with a beard, who is seen praying, or acting overtly Muslim, is by default a terrorist. Since the start of the war, Russia and other supporters of the Assad regime have used racially charged propaganda to represent moderate opposition fighters as terrorists. Moscow's claim that what they call 'terrorists' were embedded with the Turkish army, contradicts its earlier statements that said it was unaware of the Turkish presence.įor the sake of clarity, Turkey does not back or fight alongside any terrorist group but instead members of the moderate opposition. The claim of collusion with terrorists made by the Russian state-controlled RT channel represents the latest episode of Moscow’s disinformation campaign with regard to the Syrian conflict - and are emblematic of the wider issue of its propaganda campaign. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has made clear that there were no armed groups near Turkish soldiers at the time of the attack, and that ambulances trying to reach casualties were struck despite warnings. Some observers have therefore pointed at Russian involvement in the attack. While early reports have blamed Assad regime warplanes, none are believed to operate in the area hit, which lies close to the Turkish border with Syria. This time by falsely claiming that 33 Turkish soldiers killed in an airstrike in Idlib province were embedded with what Moscow calls 'terrorist groups'.

Russian officials are once again applying their creative touch to reality. From chemical attacks to false accusations of ‘terrorism’ launched against the Syrian opposition, Russian officials and disinformation campaigns have created an alternate reality.

Warped reality from lying