Inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) travelled to Syria last week to inspect the site, but have yet to gain access to Douma, which is now under government control after revel forces withdrew.
“As of today, Russia and Syria still refuse to give inspectors access to the site of the attack,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“It is very likely that proof and essential elements are disappearing from this site,” it added on Tuesday.
The statement follows a row between the US and UK, on one hand, and Moscow on the other, over inspectors’ access to Douma.
Theresa May has accused Russia of blocking the OPCW from travelling to the area, while Kenneth Ward, the US envoy to the body, voiced fears the location may have been tampered with.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, strongly denied any tampering had taken place while other Russian officials said inspectors had not been able to visit Douma because of Saturday’s air strikes, and because they lacked the correct permits.
“I can guarantee that Russia has not tampered with the site,” Mr Lavrov told the BBC.
The Independent
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