Moscow, SANA – The Russian Defense Ministry affirmed that terrorists used mustard gas in Aleppo’s southern countryside, and that evidence confirms that terrorists have a regulated production cycle for producing chemical weapons.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Ministry said that Russian experts gave to the Syrian side on November 16th soil samples from the crater caused by a shell fired by terrorists on civilians in Oum Hosh village along with samples from the mortar-shaped shell, noting that the shell was a handmade 240 mm shell containing in its fin assembly a plug used in manufacturing chemical containers.

The Ministry explained that upon removing the shell from the crater, a thick brown liquid seeped from the hole beneath its fuse, and examination showed that the liquid and the soil around the shell contained toxic materials that burn the skin, adding that samples of the liquid and dirt were sent to Russian military chemical labs for analysis in order to determine the sources of the chemicals used in making the shell and how the terrorists gained access to them.

The Ministry affirmed that examination of shells that were fired by terrorists in Aleppo and that didn’t explode showed that they contained the toxic mustard gas, which proves that the terrorists have a regulated production cycle for producing chemical weapons, adding that it’s not unlikely that they procured mustard gas and other toxic materials from outside Syria, and investigations are underway to determine the channels used for delivering toxic materials to terrorists in Syria.

Hazem Sabbagh