The Russian Foreign Ministry today issued a statement complaining that the UN’s humanitarian aid to Syria is becoming increasingly politicized, and that the vast majority of the shipments being made are going into rebel territory, leaving the government-held areas under siege short on aid.
As an example, the foreign ministry cited the situation in Deir Ezzor, where an estimated 200,000 Syrians are trapped in government-held districts surrounded by ISIS, and in need of supplies, but that only about 1% of the UN’s overall aid to the country is actually going there.
Instead, they say the aid is mostly going into places held by al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front.. It’s not well documented where the UN is actually managing to deliver aid, as the UN officials responsible mostly just complain about not being able to get access to some places.
Struggles to get aid into Nusra’s East Aleppo have been a major focus, and to that end the Russian Defense Ministry offered its own separate statement offering to escort the UN aid convoys into the area. Russia halted their airstrikes against eastern Aleppo 44 days ago, in an attempt to get aid deliveries started and to support civilian evacuations. So far, however, there have been no UN deliveries.