Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations

Statement by H.E. Mr. Vassily A. Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, during the event on “Activities of the White Helmets” in Syria”.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

White Helmets are being portrayed in the Western media as humanitarian heroes, and all attempts to expose who they really are, are being presented as a campaign on disinformation.

Only yesterday there was an article on White Helmets in the Washington Post which starts with “A Russian disinformation campaign has pushed Syria’s best known civilian rescue group, etc. In response, Russia is using state-run bodies and media outlets to mount a brutal and unrelenting information campaign against the organization, including bogus charges that the Wight Helmets are preparing chemical attacks on Syrian soil”. The British-based “Bellingcat” research group said Tuesday – we know what kind of research British group “Bellingcat” conducts – the White Helmets are being presented as humanitarian heroes and martyrs chased and persecuted by the Syrian government.

By the way, White Helmets are not the only humanitarian organization working in Syria. In fact, it is not humanitarian organization as such but they are vigorously defended by western capitals because they spend a lot of money on White Helmets and of course they want to protect their asset.