MOSCOW accused the US and its allies yesterday of having relied on fabricated evidence to accuse the Syrian government of launching chemical attacks against civilians.

Major General Igor Kirillov, who heads the Russian military's radiation, chemical and biological protection unit, said Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigators had failed to visit sites of alleged use of sarin and chlorine, trusting rigged evidence from anti-government activists.

He mocked images of activists working without protective gear at the site of alleged sarin use, which would have been impossible if the nerve agent had been used.

Likewise, Maj Gen Kirillov scoffed at pictures of massive gas canisters supposedly dropped by government helicopters in the purported chemical attack on Douma outside Damascus on April 7.

“Surprisingly, the 100kg canisters left tableware and furniture undamaged and even a bed on which the canister fell was intact, signalling that the canister was dragged into the room, as indicated by signs left on the floor.”