Russia has repeatedly claimed there is no evidence of a chemical attack on the town of Douma in Syria but this disturbing footage appears to show otherwise
ROWS of children lay lifeless on the floor.
At first glance it looks like the little ones, some barely old enough to walk, do not have any obvious signs of injury.
But closer examination reveals a gruesome truth.
Foam from their last gasping breaths has dried around their contorted mouths and their lifeless eyes are still swollen apparently from a toxic gas attack.
Some are even in each other's arms as they held each other as they died the most horrific of deaths in places they should have felt safe.
The footage and pictures after an attack in Douma, Syria, from international agencies and local broadcasters haven't been independently verified.
But they are consistent with countless witness reports and Bashar al-Assad's history of using the most terrible weapons of war against the innocent.
It seems almost undeniable a chemical gas attack killed 70 people, many of them children, in the rebel-held Syrian town.
But even in the face of such overwhelming evidence, Vladimir Putin’s Russia brazenly denies that such an attack took place.
An outraged Donald Trump warned he will decide by the end of today on a swift response to the “heinous attack”.
"We can't let atrocities like we all witnessed... we can't let that happen in our world,” he said.
"We can't let that happen, especially when we are able to - because of the power of the US, because of the power of our country - we are able to stop it."
Meanwhile Theresa May has also not ruled out the British Government joining potential military action.
Speaking in Denmark last night, the PM said the Syrian regime, and its backers like Russia, “must be held to account” if found to be responsible for the "barbaric" targeting of civilians.
May, who spoke to her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron today, was set to speak to Trump and lead a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the suspected chemical attack in Syria.
The Damascus regime has dismissed the allegations against it as a fabrication or even that it had been stitched up in a "false flag" operation by insurgents.
Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia also rubbished claims the Syrian regime used chemical weapons as "fake news”.
The diplomat was of course echoing Moscow’s line from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said there was NO evidence of an attack.
He said: "Our military specialists have visited this place... and they did not find any trace of chlorine or any other chemical substance used against civilians."
Gabriel Elefteriu, senior defence fellow at think tank Policy Exchange, said there was no question that Russia is waging a full-blown information war on the West.
Speaking to Sun Online, he said: “Its purpose is not just to sow discord and doubt, but also to provide cover – through plausible deniability – for illegal and subversive military-grade ops that serve Russian policy.
“In this war, our own media is our first line of defence, and the unvarnished truth is our strongest weapon.
"The media has a crucial role – indeed, a moral duty – to present the facts regarding current events, but also to expose the methods and objectives of foreign propaganda machines.
“The media should pursue it unrelentingly and inform the public of all hard evidence that is available, keeping in mind that certain intelligence-based evidence cannot and should not be revealed by any responsible government.
“The pursuit of truth includes clearly identifying evidence of past patterns of behaviour (and lies) of countries such as Russia."
In this war, our own media is our first line of defence, and the unvarnished truth is our strongest weapon
Gabriel Elefteriu, denior defence fellow at think tank Policy Exchange
Disturbing images of the attack, many of which The Sun has chosen not to publish, show corpses with foam around their mouths and their eyes rolled to the back of their heads.
All these are tell-tale signs usually seen in chemical warfare victims.
But already false flag claims about the attacks are circulating on social media.
No doubt the Internet Research Agency, the notorious Russian troll factory, will be in full swing, pumping out conspiracy theories based on no evidence - fake news as it’s known.
But Dr Andrew Foxall, director of the Russia and Eurasia Studies Centre, said: “In responding to Russia’s disinformation campaign, the most effective tool at the West’s disposal is the truth.
“Russia is attempting to blur the boundary between fact and fiction, and it is important that we resist this by using evidence and facts to assert something called ‘the truth’.
“Of course Western media outlets have certain responsibilities where graphic violence is concerned, and the harrowing footage of the alleged chemical attack falls squarely within this.
“But Western media should not be averse to showing this footage simply because Russia’s propaganda machine is seeking to spread disinformation and sow confusion surrounding the attack.
“Quite the opposite, the footage should be shown precisely because it reveals a defining trait of President Putin’s regime – its reckless disregard for human life.”
Independent charities, such as The Union of Medical Relief Organisations, have confirmed that convulsing victims have symptoms consistent with a chemical attack.
But while the damning evidence piles up, along with the Syria’s dictator history of using chemicals on his own people, Russia has stood by its ally.
Kenneth Roth, the head of Human Rights Watch, slammed the attack as a “war crime” which Russia shares potential criminal responsibility for.
He said: "The use of chemical weapons is inherently a war crime."
Mr Roth added: “Add on top of that the people here who seem to have been targeted - which is typical for the Assad government - have been civilians.
"In the past he (Assad) has used chemical weapons, not so much for the large number of people they kill, but because they are terrifying weapons. They demoralise the enemy.
"There is no question that the Assad government is criminally liable for the war crime strategy of targeting civilians.
"I think a strong case can be made that Russia shares criminal responsibility for the war crime strategy pursued by the Assad government in targeting civilians."
Allegations that Moscow poisoned Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Britain last month led to diplomats being expelled and tough financial and travel sanctions against Putin-allied oligarchs, Roth said.
"I hope that people are thinking about what can be done with the World Cup approaching to put similar pressure on Putin to rein in Assad and his atrocities," he added.
The Kremlin has denied claims that it was behind the attack on Skripal despite its chilling similarities of the assassination of former FSB spook Alexander Litvinenko.
The recent spate of deadly attacks comes after Putin and his inner circle of military and intelligence chiefs perfected what has been dubbed “hybrid warfare”.
This uses subversive tactics such as fake news troll factory as well as using paramilitary groups in Ukraine.
And this new form of smoke and mirrors conflict is at work in Syria, seeking to undermine claims made by aid workers and human rights groups on the ground.
Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s Syria Campaign Manager, said: “Putin’s officials have shamelessly propped up the Assad regime with a massive campaign of disinformation and smears, while blocking virtually every move at the UN to secure justice.
“When we’ve reported on Russian airstrikes killing hundreds of Syrian civilians, the Kremlin has called our findings a ‘hoax’.
“Assad has even said the well-documented torture and killings in his jails are ‘fake news’.
“Putin and Assad have taken information warfare to a whole new level during the horrific Syrian conflict.”
When we’ve reported on Russian airstrikes killing hundreds of Syrian civilians, the Kremlin has called our findings a ‘hoax’
Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s Syria campaign manager
But following the Skripal attack last month, the international community has shown that it is sick and tired of Putin’s dirty tricks.
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