Putin and the Russian MOD: New provocations with the use of chemical weapons are prepared in Syria

The Russian president said that he had information about the preparation of new provocations with chemical weapons in Syria. "We have information from various sources that such provocations, and I cannot name it in any other way, are being prepared in other regions of Syria, including in the southern suburbs of Damascus, where they are going to throw some more substance and blame it on him the Syrian authorities," - Putin said at a press conference following the meeting with Italian President Sergio Matarella. The situation around the US attacks on Syria repeats their attack on Iraq in 2003, when under the unproven pretext of Baghdad's alleged possession of chemical weapons, a military campaign was launched, the Russian president believes.

Two facilities for the production and storage of chemical weapons in Syria are located in the territory under the control of the opposition, all such facilities have been destroyed on the territory controlled by the Syrian authorities, Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the main operational department of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said at a briefing today.

Militants bring poisonous substances to several areas of Syria, to provoke new US strikes against Syria, Rudskoy says. "According to the information we have, the militants are currently bringing into the regions of Khan-Sheikhun, the airfield of Djira, East Gutu and west of the city of Aleppo, the purpose of these actions is to create another reason for accusing the Syrian government of using chemical weapons and provoking new attacks by the US", -  Rudskoy says.