"We'll whack them, even in the outhouse." Vladimir Putin's long-ago warning to Chechen "terrorists" now applies to anyone who stands in President Bashar al-Assad's way in Syria. Among those who are being "whacked": doctors and nurses.
A front-page headline in a New York daily a few months back rammed home the disparity between the allegations by over 50 women that Bill Cosby had sexually assaulted them, and the Hollywood star's categorical denial of any wrongdoing.
"HE SAID", began the skewering headline, in large-font capitals. It was followed by a long series of "She saids", running to the bottom of the page, in increasingly smaller letters.
We're seeing the same gaping disparity in Russia's breezy dismissal this week of accusations that it is abetting the spate of deadly attacks against civilian targets in northern Syria. The targets have ranged from hospitals and schools sheltering refugees, to open-air markets and residential areas.
Russia's categorical denial is the "He said" in this lopsided equation. Aid organisations, rights groups, rescue workers, doctors, nurses, fleeing civilians, eyewitness accounts, activists, think-tank experts and coalition military officials are among the numerous "She saids".
What they're saying differs in the details. But it adds up to the same conclusion: In the name of bolstering its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and boosting its own geopolitical street cred, Russia is riding roughshod over international law banning the deliberate targeting of civilians in times of war.
War crimes?
Many of these vocal critics - including top officials at Doctors Without Borders, which boasts a significant presence in Syria - say Putin's fighter pilo... Go on reading on our web site.
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