"The remaining extremist groups (in Syria - RT) are currently concentrated in the de-escalation zone in the province of Idlib. Terrorists are making attempts to disrupt the ceasefire, moreover, they are carrying out and preparing various kinds of provocations, including using chemical weapons, "Putin said.
At the same time, he noted that the hotbed of international terrorism in Syria has practically been eliminated.
Earlier, Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Alexander Shulgin, said that the Russian side informed the OPCW head Fernando Arias about the impending provocation using chemical weapons in Syria. Shulgin specified that the Syrian side had already sent to the technical secretary of the organization the data at their disposal. He also expressed his hope that the secretariat would take seriously the information transmitted and take appropriate steps.
Senator, member of the International Affairs Committee Oleg Morozov, in an interview with the FAN, assessed France's readiness to strike Syria if chemical weapons are used in Idlib.