Russia to share information on Syria attack with UN

Russia says it will submit information from its Defense Ministry to a UN Security Council session called to discuss a suspected chemical attack in Syria yesterday that killed at least 72 civilians.

Western countries say evidence indicates that Syrian pro-government forces were behind Tuesday’s attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and is waging an air campaign on his behalf.

Earlier, the Russian military claimed the chemicals were released after Syrian warplanes bombed a facility where rebels were making their own chemical weapons.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, said that at the UN meeting Russia “will at least cite in a well-argued manner those data that were mentioned by our Defense Ministry.”

— AP