This week, Russia started briefing against the US military’s response to a chemical attack in Syria that Moscow claims to know to be a false flag, staged by anti-government militias. And it hasn’t even happened yet.
If that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to you, don't worry — it doesn't make sense. Let's break it down, starting with what Russia has actually said.
“This provocation with the participation of the White Helmets, imitating the rescue of those affected by chemical weapons, is planned with the active participation of the British special services and should serve as an occasion for the US, Britain and France to inflict another missile and aircraft strike on the state objects of Syria,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a Facebook statement on Aug. 25.
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The Russian Embassy of the US was more blunt, posting on its official Facebook that same day, “The Russian Defense Ministry has accused the United States, the United Kingdom and France of preparing to carry out new strikes against Syria under the pretext of chemical weapons use by Syrian government forces.”
However bizarre these statements may seem, they actually fit into a pattern that has emerged during the seven-year Syrian civil war: Civilians are killed by chemical weapons, the attack is condemned internationally, independent observers state they believe the Syrian government is responsible, and Western nations then often launch retaliatory airstrikes. Added to the mix are highly vocal pro-Assad and Russian trolls, who amplify the false flag narrative after (or sometimes before) each attack.
If that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to you, don't worry — it doesn't make sense. Let's break it down, starting with what Russia has actually said.
“This provocation with the participation of the White Helmets, imitating the rescue of those affected by chemical weapons, is planned with the active participation of the British special services and should serve as an occasion for the US, Britain and France to inflict another missile and aircraft strike on the state objects of Syria,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a Facebook statement on Aug. 25.
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The Russian Embassy of the US was more blunt, posting on its official Facebook that same day, “The Russian Defense Ministry has accused the United States, the United Kingdom and France of preparing to carry out new strikes against Syria under the pretext of chemical weapons use by Syrian government forces.”
However bizarre these statements may seem, they actually fit into a pattern that has emerged during the seven-year Syrian civil war: Civilians are killed by chemical weapons, the attack is condemned internationally, independent observers state they believe the Syrian government is responsible, and Western nations then often launch retaliatory airstrikes. Added to the mix are highly vocal pro-Assad and Russian trolls, who amplify the false flag narrative after (or sometimes before) each attack.
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