While President Putin announced the end of Russia’s military operations with much fanfare, the modest forces withdrawn thereafter suggest that by no means is Russia’s military role in Syria over.

Using digital forensic research and open source investigation methods, Distract Deceive Destroy presents the reality of Russia’s Syrian campaign: Russia launched air strikes on hospitals, water treatment plants, and mosques. Russia used cluster bombs. Russia almost exclusively targeted non-ISIS targets — truths that Russia will not admit, but truths that must be understood when negotiating with Russia as a potential partner.

Authors: Maksymilian Czuperski, Eliot Higgins, Frederic Hof, Ben Nimmo, and John E. Herbst