DISINFO: The White Helmets are in fairly close contact with the top of the terrorist groups
SUMMARY
The Syrian Civil Defense opposition organisation (White Helmets) is in close contact with Western intelligence agencies. The Mayday Rescue fund, registered in the Netherlands, was the “cover” for contacts and financing the provocateur organisation. Moreover, White Helmets are in rather close contact with the top of terrorist groups.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the association of the White Helmets with terrorism in Syria.
The White Helmets are a volunteer search and rescue organisation made up of a group of Syrian civilians who mobilized to help war casualties in Syria, namely injured civilians trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The organisation - which is made up of 3,400 volunteers including teachers, engineers, tailors and firefighters - states that it has no affiliation to any political or military actor and is committed to render services to anyone in need.
The claim that the White Helmets are the creation of“Western intelligence” is unsubstantiated and constitutes a groundless conspiracy theory. Mayday rescue supports White Helmets to provide a wide range of emergency and life-sustaining essential services to approximately 3.5m civilians inside Syria including firefighting, ambulance, urban search and rescue, support to internally displaced people, explosive hazard clearance, essential utilities repair and rubble clearance.
Disinformation media routinely accuse White Helmets of “working for terrorists” and giving a biased information to Western media. No evidence is given to support those claims.
See the similar case accusing White Helmets for being the “a wing of the Front al-Nusra terrorist group”.
See here and here for background on Russian disinformation campaigns against the White Helmets.