Russia on Monday denied a US newspaper report that its warplanes bombed four hospitals in rebel-held territory in Syria over a period of 12 hours this year.
The Russian Defence Ministry rubbished the claim in a report by The New York Times, saying "the alleged 'evidence' provided by the NYT is not worth even the paper it was printed on".
The May strikes — which the newspaper tied to Moscow through Russian radio recordings, plane spotter logs and accounts by witnesses — are part of a larger pattern of medical facilities targeted by forces supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's devastating civil war.
Nabad al Hayat Surgical Hospital — which staff had fled three days earlier in anticipation of the facility being bombed — was one of those struck during the 12-hour period beginning on May 5, according to the Times' investigation.
A Russian ground controller gave the exact coordinates of the hospital to the pilot, who reported having it in sight a few minutes later, the newspaper said.
The controller gave the go-ahead for the strike at the same time that a spotter who was tasked with warning civilians about impending strikes logged a Russian jet in the area. The pilot then reported releasing bombs, and local journalists filming the hospital recorded three bombs going through its roof and exploding.