A neighborhood in the Syrian city of Maaret al Numan

has just been hit by an airstrike.

Rescuers are rushing to the scene

when warnings of another attack come over the radio.

As the camera tilts upward, it captures a small speck

in the sky.

This is a Russian plane,

and it’s about to strike the city again.

For years, Russia has been suspected

of recklessly bombing civilians in Syria

as they try to break the remaining pockets of resistance

to President Assad.

They’ve strongly denied it,

and proving their role has been all but impossible.

But now we have evidence.

[Sirens blaring]

Earlier Times investigations established that

the Russian air force repeatedly bombed hospitals in Syria,

and this latest investigation traces how Russian pilots also

launched some of the deadliest attacks on civilians in 2019.

[Shouting and sirens]

At the core of our investigations

are intercepted cockpit recordings of Russian pilots

and air controllers.

Combined with video and photo data and warplane sightings,

these recordings provide a critical missing link

that show how, in two recent airstrikes,

Russian pilots killed dozens of civilians.

First, we’ll take a look at this settlement

for displaced people in Syria’s last rebel-held area.

It’s called Qaryat al Rahma, or “Village of Mercy.”

This isolated complex was located near

the city of Hass, around 8 miles from the nearest front line,

and was home to over 100 families

uprooted by years of war.

One resident told us that families use the evening time

to sit outside and cool off.

Near sunset on Aug. 16, he heard planes flying overhead.

It was a devastating strike.

And here’s how the evidence shows

that Russia was responsible.

This photo, taken by a local journalist

immediately after impact, is a crucial piece of the puzzle.

We know it was taken in Hass because the features match

earlier drone footage of the town.

The buildings and pylons are all the same.

And shrouded in smoke is the settlement

for displaced people.

We know because these windows and the mast on the roof

also match the drone footage of the camp.

Using the picture’s file data,

we verified it was taken at 7:17 p.m. on Aug. 16,

pinpointing the exact time of the attack.

What was happening in the skies around this time?

Five minutes before the strike,

observers spotted and logged a Russian warplane

over a nearby town.

And at precisely 7:17, we hear a Russian pilot,

with a call sign 464, launch an attack.

The weapon landed in the middle of a courtyard

where families had gathered.

The blast leveled buildings, and the scene is carnage.

[Shouting]

The dead include a pregnant woman, her husband

and their 2-year-old child.

In all, 19 residents of the camp are killed,

and 13 more are wounded.

Another deadly attack this summer occurred

just 4 miles away in Maarat al Numan —

a densely populated city in the heart

of opposition-controlled territory.

On Monday morning, July 22, the city

was hit repeatedly by airstrikes.

The attack sparked so much outrage

that Russia was forced to respond.

They denied involvement.

But the combined evidence of witness videos, flight logs

and cockpit recordings contradict this

and show how Russian Pilot 17 killed over 20 people

in just half an hour.

We’ve retraced what happened minute by minute.

It’s 8:31 a.m.

Pilot 17 receives a target, and four minutes later he

launches a weapon, calling it “candy,”

and prepares a second attack.

The strike levels an entire building

in a busy commercial area in the city.

Local journalist Mohamed Sharawi

films his rush to the scene.

As the dust clears, he joins first responders

who try to reach victims

through the rear of an adjacent building.

Above them, the Russian pilot

is preparing to launch again, in two minutes,

at 44 minutes past the hour.

Mohammad and the others take cover, as flight spotters

warn of another attack.

He looks up and films a Russian fighter jet overhead.

The pilot launches his weapon.

Then the explosion.

[Explosion]

It’s what’s known as a double tap.

It hits almost exactly the same location

and kills a rescue worker.

At 8:54, Pilot 17 confirms his third strike in the city,

hitting a building around 800 yards away.

[Explosion]

Minutes later, he calculates his fourth and final round —

and strikes another building on the outskirts of the town.

[Explosion]

The number killed is estimated at between 23 and 42 people,

including two children —

making it one of the worst attacks

on a civilian area this year.

The Russians are by no means alone in this.

Combined with Syrian attacks, the U.N. says,

over 1,000 civilians in northwest Syria have been

killed or injured since April —

hundreds of them children.

So why is Russia attacking civilians?

Experts tell us it’s the same reason

they’re bombing hospitals.

It’s all part of a strategy to break the will of the people,

force them to flee, and to help the Syrian government

retake the last opposition stronghold.

And after more than eight years of war

and very little in the way of consequences,

Russia shows no signs of slowing down.