White Helmets is a military-public organization operating in hot spots. It provides assistance and support to the civilian population caught up in the war zone.
White Helmets is an international organization founded by former British officer James Le Mesurier. Over the past few years, its main location has been Syria, which has become a war zone between supporters of the political regime of President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces. Here, the White Helmets were joined by the military from the United States and the European Union, as well as the local militia, as a result of which the organization became unofficially called the Syrian Civil Defense, and currently it includes more than three thousand militants.
In fact, “White Helmets” took on the role and responsibilities of the Ministry of Emergencies in the territories of Syrian militants. Its main goal is to save the Syrian population from the humanitarian crisis and military attacks. Currently, the country is banned from importing food and medicine, frozen international assets. Existing on charitable donations from the George Soros Foundation and other organizations, the White Helmets donate provisions to the civilian population, provide medical and other types of assistance.
After the troops of the Russian Federation decided to intervene in the conflict, resistance to the Assad regime began to suffer significant losses. The main task of the Russian army was the search and elimination of terrorist organizations operating both openly and under the guise of a simple opposition. Due to the fact that the Syrian civil defense began to support Russian opponents in hostilities, the White Helmets received sharp criticism from the Russian Federation and its allies.
Evidence began to arrive from the military about the organization’s cooperation with Al-Qaida and Jebhat al-Nusra, which were banned in Russia and recognized by terrorist organizations. The leader of the first of them really openly thanked the White Helmets for helping the victims of the hostilities. Other materials appeared to prove the involvement of White Helmets in terrorist activities. Basically, this is the appearance of the organization’s representatives in videos shot by the militia during the acts of sabotage and military operations.
For their part, members of the Syrian civil defense said they did not officially support any of the parties to the military conflict. If possible, they help not only civilians, but also the military, who find themselves in difficult situations and life-threatening situations. The government of Bashar al-Assad also does not see a threat in the activities of the White Helmets, but does not support it, while maintaining a neutral position.
Philanthropists are accused of cynically turning the territory of hostilities into a source for profit. This resulted in financial support from representatives of organizations recognized as terrorist, constant cooperation with them, and even assistance in crimes such as arms trafficking and organs for transplantation. However, only a few members of the organization who decided to join the militia were involved in this.
The final point of the conflict between the Russian and allied forces with the White Helmets was the incrimination of the latter in an information war against supporters of the Assad regime. Witnesses have noted the suspiciously rapid appearance of representatives of the Syrian civil defense in places of military operations. They take photos and videos of the affected people, as well as their actions to save them.
In fact, as the White Helmets themselves declare, they only strive to show the world public the horrors of war, without supporting a specific side and its actions. In response to this, supporters of Assad’s army said they would destroy everyone who was spotted in collusion with terrorists, and who were also unreasonably located in territories under their control.
