White Helmets Proxy to Defame Syrian Govt: Russia

"In general, we consider the White Helmets to be yet another element of a large-scale information campaign aimed at defamation of the Syrian authorities," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.
 
The spokeswoman stressed that the media was using the NGO's' materials without first verifying the content.
 
"During the combat operations in Aleppo, the White Helmets showed videos with numerous victims, who, according to them, suffered during airstrikes of the Syrian Air Force and the Russian Air Force. However, shelling and strikes themselves were not recorded in any films," Zakharova noted.
 
White Helmets, officially known as Syria Civil Defence, is a so-called Syrian humanitarian organization that allegedly is involved in urban search and rescue operations in militant-held areas. The activists of the organization are often depicted saving people from under debris and providing first aid to civilians in war-torn Syria. However, a number of videos emerged revealing that rescue operations were staged, with the "victims" wearing make-up and given instructions for what to say. The rescue workers were allegedly seen in some videos carrying arms and in military uniform.
 
The Swedish Doctors for Human Rights (SWEDHR) NGO issued a report in March, stating that the "lifesaving" procedures shown in the videos published by the White Helmets are incorrect, fake and "ultimately performed on dead children."