With rebels holding onto less than one percent of eastern Aleppo, the Syrian army said it is close to declaring victory. Amid allegations of war crimes, the EU's top diplomat said it would not impose sanctions on Russia.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/A. el Bushy
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Syrian state television on Monday evening announced that government forces, backed by Russian airstrikes and militias from across the region, gained control of more than 99 percent of eastern Aleppo.
"We are in the final moments before declaring the victory of the Arab Syrian army in the battle of East Aleppo. We could announce this any moment," a Syrian military source told Reuters news agency.
Rami Abdel-Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, echoed similar sentiments, telling Germany's DPA news agency that "we are seeing the end" of the battle.
"The areas still under opposition control are very small, and they might fall at any moment," he added.
According to independent war monitors, more than 130,000 people have fled Aleppo since November, when government and Russian forces pushed forward with a brutal campaign to retake rebel-held Aleppo. Since late Sunday, more than 10,000 have fled the city amid the uptick in violence.
Rassam Mustafa of the rebel group Nureddin al-Zinki's politburo said the situation has worsened for opposition forces.
"The regime is advancing under gunfire, missiles and shelling," said Mustafa. "The fighters (rebels) are retreating under pressure and the situation is very bad."
'Still under shock'
Both sides of the conflict face allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Since November, at least 400 civilians have been killed in eastern Aleppo by government forces, while rebel shelling has left more than 100 civilians dead.
Robert Mardini, who heads the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Middle East, said the situation on the ground has deteriorated, with civilians in eastern Aleppo having no access to humanitarian aid, food or medical supplies.
"We're alarmed about the risks people are taking when fleeing their homes in eastern Aleppo," Mardini said. "Many in the shelters are still under shock."
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also expressed his "grave concerns" over the offensive.
"The secretary general is alarmed over reports of atrocities against a large number of civilians, including women and children, in recent hours in Aleppo," his office said in a statement.
Sanctions unlikely
After meeting with EU foreign ministers, the EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini said Brussels will likely not impose sanctions on Syrian and Russian officials in connection to the conflict.
The EU had previously threatened Moscow and Damascus with sanctions due to the humanitarian situation in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria.
More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria and half the population displaced since 2011, when government forces launched a deadly campaign against peaceful protesters calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
The long trip to Europe from the refugees' perspective
A boy who is soaking wet, volunteers entertaining children, moments of danger and of joy: #RefugeeCameras shows images taken during the journey to Europe. It is the subject of a new exhibition in Hamburg.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Leaving home - for good?
Zakaria received his camera on December 8 in Izmir, Turkey - one of the key hubs for refugees. The Syrian fled from the "Islamic State" terror militia and the government, according to McElvaney's #RefugeeCamera project. Out of safety concerns, Zakaria doesn't name his hometown. In his flight diary, Zakaria writes that only God knows if he will ever be able to return to Syria.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Rough dinghy ride
Zakaria documented his sea journey from Turkey to Chios. He was sitting in the back of his dinghy. At the Hamburg exhibition, which opens this weekend, the refugees' images will be complemented by a selection of shots taken by professionals, who helped to shape the representation of escape routes in the media. They all donated their works in order to support the project.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Perilous arrival
Hamza and Abdulmonem, both from Syria, photographed the perilous landing of their dinghy on a Greek island. There were no volunteers to offer them support. That is exactly what McElvaney had in mind when he launched #RefugeeCameras. So far, he says, the media have offered a "visual blank" in this respect.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Surviving the sea
After the landing, a young boy in wet clothes and life jacket stands on the pebbled beach. The image brings to mind Aylan Kurdi, the small Syrian boy whose lifeless body was washed ashore on a Turkish beach in September. The child in this picture made it to Europe alive. What became of him is not known.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Seven cameras returned
Hamza and Abdulmonem also took this slightly blurred snapshot of the refugee group taking a break. McElvaney handed out 15 disposable cameras in total. Seven of them were returned, one was lost, two were confiscated, two remain in Izmir, where their holders are still stranded. The remaining three cameras are unaccounted for - just like their owners.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Family in focus
Dyab, a math teacher from Syria, tried to capture some of the better moments of his journey to Germany. Pictured here are his wife and his young son, Kerim, who shows us the packet of biscuits he was given in a Macedonian refugee camp. The images reveal Dyab's deep affection for his son, McElvaney says: "He wants to take care of him, even on this arduous trip which he was forced to take."
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
From Iran to Hanau
The story of Saeed, from Iran, is a different one. The young man had to leave the country after converting to Christianity. He could have been arrested or even killed. In order to be accepted as a refugee, he pretended to be Afghan. After his arrival in Germany, he explained his situation to the authorities' satisfaction. He now lives - as an Iranian - in Hanau, Hesse.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Beyond selfies
Saeed took this picture of a Syrian father and his child on a bus from Athens to Idomeni.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
More than status
In another snapshot taken by Saeed, a volunteer working in a refugee camp somewhere between Croatia and Slovenia entertains a group of children, who try to imitate his tricks.
