The activity of the White Helmets group, controlled by the Syrian opposition, is aimed at disseminating false information about the situation in Syria, director of the Fund for Research of Problems of Democracy Maxim Grigoryev said.
To prepare its survey, the Fund for Research of Problems of Democracy interviewed a significant number of residents of regions where White Helmets are active.
"White Helmets, who style themselves as a non-governmental organization, systematically release vast amounts of false information about Syria," Grigoryev said in Paris, while presenting the data, gathered by his foundation. "Thorough verification of all information allowed us to completely refute false information about chemical attacks, of which those disinformers regularly accuse the Syrian authorities."
"You won’t find volunteers in its ranks, its workers get monthly fees for their services," he went on, mentioning the ties of the organization’s co-founder James Le Mesurier with UK special services.
Grigoryev said that images that regularly pop up on social networking sites confirm that White Helmets "are sometimes directly engaged in hostilities alongside the opponents of the Damascus government."
The Russian foundation’s survey reveals that on certain occasions, White Helmets used bodies of hostages executed by terrorists on their territories, to make photo and video records of a staged chemical attack. "Some of them, including women and children, were deliberately executed for the purpose," he said.
