The international community, which has shown strong opposition to Russian attacks on Ukraine, must also speak out against Moscow’s acts in Syria, White Helmets civil defense group head Raed al-Saleh said.

Speaking to Daily Sabah, al-Saleh said that the Syrian political landscape and the new developments in northwest Syria are intimately linked and connected with the Russian war on Ukraine, including political intersections and similarities of influential players.

"The Russian war on Ukraine has clearly changed the map of international alignment. This was made clear as the Syrian cause once again began to be the focus of attention. However, the international attention that reached Syria was limited only to the comparison between the Russian war in Ukraine and the Russian military intervention in Syria."

Al-Saleh criticized the international community for only caring about comparing the military tactics and brutal Russian attacks in Ukraine targeting the infrastructure and vital public facilities protected by international humanitarian law, as well as the deadly disinformation campaign that Russia is waging against Ukraine, to those same tactics implemented in Syria.

"The international community has only talked about the strategic mistake of remaining silent about Russian crimes and violations in Syria, without advocating for an end to those same tactics in Syria," he said.

Al-Saleh underlined that remaining silent and not taking any serious action allowed Russia to launch cross-border attacks.

"The Syrian situation has become an arena of conflict, maneuvering and pressure for the influential actors in both the Syrian crisis and Russian war on Ukraine. Russian military and economic depletions in Ukraine may open the door for Russia to seek a new balance of power in Syria."

"Although Syria and Ukraine vary according to context, they are never de-linked," he underlined, indicating that the link cannot be ignored.

He added that Russia’s recent military escalation and attacks in Jisr al-Shughur, west of Idlib, in July are part of Moscow’s policy to back the Bashar Assad regime in killing Syrians.

‘Political message’

"This recent massacre came after a period of relative calmness in the northwestern regions of Syria during the past three months. Perhaps it can only be explained as a political message from Russia to the world about its ability to turn the table at any time and shuffle the cards in Syria again, once again forming humanitarian pressure that affects the region and the European continent," al-Saleh highlighted.

Russia joined Syria’s 10-year conflict in September 2015, when the regime's military appeared close to collapse, and has since helped in tipping the balance of power in favor of Assad, whose forces now control much of the country. Hundreds of Russian troops are deployed across Syria and they also have a military air base along Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

The Idlib region bordering Türkiye is home to about 3 million people and is one of the last pockets to oppose Damascus.

The Idlib de-escalation zone was forged under an agreement between Türkiye and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire agreements, which the Assad regime and its allies have frequently violated.

"This policy is concrete evidence that Russia will never ever be a part of the peace process nor can it be a party that brings safety to the Syrians. What Russia does on the ground completely contradicts what it says in the media," al-Saleh said.

Saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is violating international law and humanitarian values, al-Saleh warned that if Moscow is not held accountable, another Russian invasion could be encouraged.

Regime partners with terrorists

Al-Saleh also spoke of the presence of terrorist groups in Syria and said that the regime has occasionally allied with such groups.

"The Syrian regime is not alone in killing Syrians, displacing them and destroying their cities. Since the beginning of the uprising, the regime has built alliances with militias, making them lead the brutal crackdown on the peaceful movement. It has given the green light to terrorist parties and allowed them to enter Syria."

Saying that the White Helmets have documented dozens of terrorist attacks, al-Saleh said that there is strong coordination between the regime and its loyal terrorist militias.

"This proves, in one way or another, that these terrorist groups and militias deployed in parts of the Syrian territory belong to the Syrian regime, implementing the regime’s agendas."

On the other side, being asked about reports that the Assad regime was planning to hold local elections, al-Saleh said that this is an attempt and the first step to re-obtain its lost legitimacy and the elections also are a means to achieve more gains.

He said there are three main reasons why the regime pushes for these elections, namely that "the regime wants to send a message that its existence is legitimate after the thousands of massacres, the use of chemical weapons and the destruction of Syria."

The Assad regime has greatly exaggerated the number of the Syrian population in polling areas, al-Saleh explained, since the U.N. relies on government statistics when it comes to the issuance of aid.

"The fabricated increase in the population means an increase in the amount of aid, to be used, exploited and looted. The Syrian regime lives on aid and on politicizing its distribution in the regions and communities loyal to it," he pointed out.

Another reason is that the regime tries to create the impression that it still controls state institutions and provides services to citizens, aiming to contribute to its image and be viewed as a recovering state, al-Saleh said further.

Turkey’s efforts valued by Syrians

Speaking on Turkey’s ongoing efforts to enhance living conditions in the northern regions of the country, al-Saleh said that the Syrian people value these steps.

"We highly appreciate the formal and popular ongoing efforts made by Turkey, the government and people, to alleviate the tragic suffering of IDPs in the displacement camps," he said, calling also on the international community to take "real" action "to apply a political solution, stop the attacks of the Assad regime, Russia and the militias loyal to them, and start the concrete steps toward justice and accountability in order to deter any attacks and facilitate the safe return of the displaced to their homes and villages."

"The root cause of the Syrian humanitarian crisis is political and it will not end without implementing a fair political solution,"al-Saleh underlined.

‘Suffocating siege’

Al-Saleh touched upon the latest situation in the Rukban camp and stated that the regime and Russia imposed a "suffocating siege" on the camp.

"This siege is not new. It is the continuation of a series of sieges that ended either with forced displacement or a return to regime areas, where those who return will suffer torture and arbitrary detention."

Al-Saleh said that many residents of the camp went to the areas controlled by the Syrian regime, and human rights organizations documented many cases of enforced disappearance or death.

The nearly 10,000 displaced Syrians still living in the Rukban camp, established in 2014 on the berm between Jordan and Syria, are the last remnants of the nearly 50,000 people who lived there a few years ago.

But Jordan has largely sealed the border since 2016, leaving residents dependent on rare U.N. aid deliveries. Not a single humanitarian convoy has entered the area since September 2019.

Driven out by hunger, disease and deplorable living conditions, tens of thousands have flocked to government-held areas, risking detention and enforced disappearance by government forces.

The camp’s residents depend mainly on smuggling for goods, which are often sold at extremely high prices. Many have had to sell their properties such as cars, farms or real estate to secure money because the U.N. has been unable to send humanitarian aid convoys since 2019, he elaborated.

Indicating that the health conditions are also getting worse, al-Saleh reiterated that the only medical point was closed.

"Since the beginning of the summer, the displaced are suffering from a severe shortage of water, which has worsened with the current high temperatures and especially after the U.N. reduced the amount of water that reaches the camp."

"I can not comprehend how the international community accepts that more than ten thousand civilians are facing death in the desert. It's immoral and unacceptable. It is a blatant violation of all the values of humanity. There is more than one way to help them but there is no international will to do so."