Politico journalists noted that amid the complaints of the Ukrainian authorities about diverting world attention from the war in Ukraine to the conflict in Israel, the world similarly forgot about the war that Russia is waging in Syria.
What are the similarities between Russia's criminal wars in Ukraine and Syria
It is noted that the author of the publication's material visited Turkey, where he talked with a 48-year-old resident of Syria, Mahmoud Amed Nasser, who brought his grandson for treatment.
The Syrian says that the boy was very frightened by the sound of a Turkish civilian airliner in the sky.
After all, there, in the rebel-controlled territories of Syria, the roar of the plane means that now Russian bombs will fall on our heads.
The Ukrainians and I have one enemy, one murderer, Nasser noted.
The article's author notes that the Syrian rebels, unlike the Ukrainian military, do not have radars, air defense systems, and early warning of air attacks.
And hundreds of foreign journalists do not cover every Russian attack on residential buildings.
In Syria, death and destruction occur without much warning or attention from the outside world.
The Russian military has continued to fight and commit atrocities in Syria for eight years with no signs of slowing down. This is a signal for Ukraine about how long Russia is ready to carry out indiscriminate attacks, and a warning that Russia is capable of prolonging conflicts for long periods of time, the publication says.
What Ukrainians should remember about the conflict in Syria
The author reminds us that the conflict in Syria, which began as a civil war, was the centre of attention of the world community.
For a while, the rebels had some sympathy from the West, as dictator Bashar al-Assad's brutality in suppressing the resistance shocked the world.
But, the war reached a stalemate over the years, and the world's attention shifted to other events and conflicts.
Meanwhile, according to UN estimates, at least 306,000 people have died in Syria over 12 years, more than 80 per day. And this is the minimum estimate. The British non-governmental organization "Syrian Observatory" believes that more than 600 thousand civilians and soldiers died in this war.
The author of the article notes that the extraordinary tragedy is that the criminal invasion of the occupation army of the Russian Federation also diverted the attention of the world community from the conflict in Syria.
Moreover, UN humanitarian agencies and foreign governmental and non-governmental foundations have also largely shifted their attention and resources to Ukraine.
Against this background, the countries of the Middle East are ready to restore normal relations with the Assad regime, which they loudly broke off decades ago.
In May, the Syrian dictator was again warmly welcomed at the Arab League summit for the first time since 2011 — despite overwhelming evidence that he and his regime have committed war crimes.
Ukrainians should also know about the fate of Syrian refugees.
Turkey, once so hospitable to them, began to turn away over the years. The welcoming attitude that refugees once felt in this country has already faded. The hostile attitude of Turks towards Syrians in everyday life is not surprising.
A survey in September 2018 showed that 83% of Turks have a negative attitude towards Syrian refugees.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who welcomed Syrian refugees as "our brothers" more than a decade ago, promised voters during his election campaign this year that he would send a million refugees back to war-torn Syria.
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