Humanitarian Pauses Necessary for Providing Aid to Civilians not for Helping Gunmen Enhance Fighting Abilities: Moscow

MOSCOW-  Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Thursday that “it is unreasonable to extend humanitarian pauses just for the sake of extension without providing any real assistance to civilians but instead providing gunmen with an opportunity to restore their fighting capacity.”

Konashenkov said that the ministry has received a letter from the head of the UN humanitarian mission in Syria asking to extend humanitarian pauses in Aleppo.

 He added that the letter was received by “our representative in Geneva on November 7,” the letter contained “another request to extend future humanitarian pauses in Aleppo”.

“This is not the first time that we receive such requests. Every time it seems to be just another effort to find an excuse for disrupting the UN humanitarian aid delivery to the residents of Aleppo.”

Konashenkov pointed out that regardless of the humanitarian pauses, the Russian Reconciliation Center had delivered over 100 tons of humanitarian aid to Aleppo in the past few months, at the same time, not one humanitarian pause was introduced all of a sudden.

“The UN representatives were informed on the date and time of the next humanitarian pause, the corridors established for civilians and militants, the quantity of buses, ambulances, as well as eating facilities and security measures. Massive preparations to the humanitarian pauses in Aleppo have always been made in front of their eyes. Who really wants to help the residents of Aleppo, helps them,” the ministry spokesman said.

Konashenkov pointed out that the Russian defense ministry considered it unreasonable to extend humanitarian pauses just for the sake of extension. “Obviously, the humanitarian pauses are necessary. But it is unreasonable to extend them just for the sake of extension without providing any real assistance to civilians but instead providing the militants with an opportunity to restore their fighting capacity,” he said.

The previous humanitarian pause introduced by the Syrian Arab Army in cooperation with the Russian side in Aleppo lasted for ten hours on November 4.

H.M