MOSCOW - Russia's foreign ministry said Thursday the invasion of Iraq five years ago had turned the country into "one of the most dangerous places on the planet" and led to the death of up to 300,000 people.
"The results are clear," Mikhail Kamynin, a ministry spokesman, said in a statement, referring to the casualties of what he called "a huge military operation without UN approval" launched by the United States and its allies.
"Up to 300,000 people, according to different estimates, have been killed since the invasion," Kamynin said.
"More than two million people have left their homeland and the number of internal immigrants is more than 2.5 million," he continued.
"Iraq has turned into one of the most dangerous places on the planet."
Russia opposed the US-led war on Iraq that toppled the brutal regime of dictator Saddam Hussein. The war began on March 20, 2003 when US planes dropped the first bombs on Baghdad.
03/20/2008 11:24 GMT