United Nations officials were dumbfounded by the airstrike, which occurred after the Syrian military declared that a partial cease-fire was over.

The larger issue with this act is the myriad of questions that it brings up:

What incentive do the Russians have to bomb aid vans? Why, after  their grueling talks and negotiations, would they deliberately break their own agreed upon ceasefire treaty? How do aid convoys threaten Russia’s interest in Syria?

The why is unknown yet it is the most important factor of this tragedy because through the why, the U.S. and others can theoretically predict Russian incentives and tactics.

It could be a case of misinformation or deliberate action, but the larger emphasis is on the fact that despite the whats and whys, these convoys were there to help people. They were there trying to provide  food for the starved, help to the needy, and hope to the hopeless, yet some form of the bureaucracy infringed upon their duties and cost people not just that aid, but more in the future.

Source: U.S. Officials Say Russia Probably Attacked U.N. Humanitarian Convoy – The New York Times