Russia is deliberately attacking civilians in northern Syria in an attempt to intensify the refugee crisis, western diplomats and politicians have warned, in a sign that a fragile ceasefire agreement for the war-ravaged country is crumbling before it begins.
A pivotal part of Russia’s strategy was “to exacerbate the refugee crisis and use it as a weapon to divide the transatlantic alliance and undermine the European project”, US Senator John McCain said in a speech at an annual security conference in Munich on Sunday.
Two senior politicians from close US allies and a senior European intelligence official echoed Mr McCain’s remarks, reflecting the bleak mood among western defence chiefs, diplomats and political leaders gathered for the conference.