Russian forces have entered the Syrian city of Raqqa, the former de facto capital of the Islamic State. The Russian entry clearly exhibits how Moscow has filled the vacuum that resulted from the United States military withdraw from much of the war-torn country.
An official statement by Moscow’s defense ministry underscored that Russian troops provided medical assistance and humanitarian aid bundles, which according to the footage provided, were printed with both the Russian and Syrian flags with a slogan underneath reading: “Russia is with you”.
Russian Defense Ministry officer Vladimir Varnavskiy who accompanied the troops’ entry claimed that the Syrian population warmly welcomed the Russian assistance, and accused the United States of being responsible for atrocities that were allegedly committed during the battle against the Islamic State. He said, “Raqqa’s infrastructure was fully destroyed during the offensive by the international coalition led by the U.S.; Thousands of Syrian civilians were victims to non-selective airstrikes and artillery fire.”
There was no immediate response from the United States to the Russian allegations. Nevertheless, an American military official, who spoke to TV7, said that Russia’s ridiculous propaganda knows no boundaries.