MOSCOW. April 12 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin says he sees two possible theories of the April 4 events in Syria's Idlib governorate as the most likely ones.
"A number of theories look plausible. I see two of them as the most likely ones," Putin told the Mir TV channel in an interview.
"The first theory is that Syrian aircraft hit an illegal workshop manufacturing toxic warfare agents. This is quite possible, as the militants have repeatedly used those substances, and no one is denying that, by the way, they were used in Iraq against the international coalition and the Iraqi army," Putin said.
"The fact was recorded, but everyone opts to ignore it; no one is making noise about it. Still, everyone agrees that the militants have used toxic substances. This means they have them, and if they have them there, why cannot they have it in Syria? It is the same gang. Here is my first theory."
"The second theory is a staged event, that is, a provocation. It was done on purpose to create a sensation and prerequisites and a pretext for putting more pressure on the legitimate Syrian authorities. This is it. And this is verifiable. We do not think that any steps against the official Syrian government should be taken without this kind of verification," Putin said.