Russia denies bombing civilians in Syria

Russian air forces have not hit civilian targets since targeting territory held by the Islamic State in Syria, dispelling reports that the Russian military had targeted civilians in rebel-controlled areas.

“The Military Space Forces have never hit civilian targets in Syria,” said Viktor Bondarev, Colonel General and commander-in-chief of Russia's Aerospace Forces said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television.

Pilots are well-trained and “have never missed their targets, have never hit ... so-called sensitive places: schools, hospitals, mosques,” he said.

Bondarev’s comments contradict reports made by London-based rights group Amnesty International. A report this week said 200 civilians have been killed in Russian airstrikes and that Russia had carried out “serious failures in respecting international humanitarian law.”

In the report, Amnesty said it had researched the Russian attacks in Homs, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Aleppo, that testimony by witnesses and research by human rights activists had shown that “there were no military targets in the vicinity.”

Russia's Defense Ministry strongly rejected the allegations and described similar reports as attempts to discredit its operations in Syria.

Russia began air strikes targeting Islamic State militants and other groups on 30 September, saying it was acting at the request of Moscow’s main Middle East ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow has also been accused of bombing rebel groups opposed to Assad but backed by the West.

Bondarev also said that the supply of Russian surface-to-air S-400 system to Syria had helped to "set the (Syrian) air space in order."

A new message purporting to come from the leader of Islamic State said on Saturday air strikes by Russia and a U.S.-led coalition had failed to weaken the group.

The United Nations currently aims to bring together Syria's warring parties on Jan. 25 in Geneva to begin talks to try to end nearly five years of civil war.