Thread by @marcgarlasco

I was the military advisor @UNCoISyria war crimes commission & documented the use of #cemicalweapons in the war in #Syria. We have UNVERIFIED accounts of #Russia using these weapons in #Ukraine. Perhaps the Syria experience can help inform. Russia NEVER used them in Syria. /1

There was NO USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS by #Russia in #Syria that we know of. There were dozens of chemical weapon strikes by Syria. Please see extensive analysis by @bellingcat and this report where I wrote multiple sections and contributed throughout: ohchr.org/Documents/HRBo… /2

This is NOT an apologist thread. We are seeing manifold #WarCrimes in Ukraine. But we must not invent crimes. Just as the reports of use of White Phosphorus in Ukraine turned out to be thermite it is highly likely the reports of CW use are something else. No need for hysteria. /3

A Syrian Air Force Su-22 dropped a Russian bomb containing Sarin on Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April 2017, killing 83 and injuring 293 civilians. There were more than 20 attacks by Syria using chlorine against civilians. The Sarin had precursors showing it was manufactured in Syria /4

The chemical weapon attacks on 4/4/17 were followed by Syrian and Russian strikes on hospitals in the area, greatly complicating medical treatment. We often saw Syrian chemical weapon strikes used to support Russian attacks in Syria, though not always. /5

Here you can see the impact of the OFAB carrying the Sarin along with the spread of the gas. We modeled it using wind patters and the slope of the ground. Unfortunately as the population was hiding from airstrikes in basements and Sarin is heavier than air many died hiding. /6

It is incorrect to state Russia ever used chemical weapons in #Syria. Yes, they struck hospitals and violated #IHL, but the evidence shows only Syria used chemical weapons there. Please see reporting by @bellingcat and follow @DanKaszeta who is an expert on chemical weapons. /END