Amnesty Reports Russia’s Airstrikes in Syria have killed Hundreds of Civilians

Russia might be in deep waters for killing hundreds of civilians during their airstrikes on Syria, which were ordered to attack the terrorist group known as the Islamic State, according to an Amnesty International report. The group added that Russia could be guilty of a war crime.

Russia "has claimed that its armed forces are only striking 'terrorist' targets and has not publicly acknowledged that they have caused any civilian deaths and injuries. However, Russian attacks in Syria appear to have actually killed hundreds of civilians and destroyed or damaged hospitals and dozens of homes and other civilian objects," the report read.

"Such attacks may amount to war crimes," Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Amnesty International, said.

The report accuses Russia of using cluster bombs in areas that it knows has a lot of civilians. It stated, specifically, that there was evidence that Russia "unlawfully used unguided bombs in densely populated areas and inherently indiscriminate cluster munitions".

The Russian Defense Ministry has commented about the report, stating that the human rights group's report was full of "clichés and lies."

"The conflict in Syria has been going on for almost five years. Around 300,000 people are estimated to have become its victims. It's strange that Amnesty International avoids a question about who committed war crimes in Syria before the appearance of a Russian air force group there," the spokesman for the ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said.

Russia began ordering air strikes on Sept. 30 to help its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fight the Islamic State as well as other groups. Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians. The nation has also stated that it takes measures to avoid harming and killing innocent people.

Amnesty's report, which can be accessed here, was based on video evidence, images and interviews with witnesses. It includes more than 25 attacks in areas, such as Homs, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Aleppo over the span of about two months.

The group also revealed that it was investigating the attacks in Syria that were headed by the U.S.-led coalition.