If a change of power in Syria is staged, the whole region will be virtually left on the edge of an abyss, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) � Unlike Russia, the West, primarily the United States and its European allies, do not see President Bashar Assad as�the country's legitimate leader, and support the Syrian opposition which aims to�oust the president.

Meanwhile, Russia has been assisting both the government and civilians of�the war-torn country.

"If the next operation on�the violent change of�power in�the Middle Eastern country is carried out, it will be disastrous not only for�Syria, but�will also become the most dangerous element in�the destructive chain of�events occurring in�the region. The region may simply not endure one more black hole," Zakharova told Russia�s Komsomolskaya Pravda daily in�an interview on�Tuesday.

According to�her, the region might not just turn into�a set of "lurid" states, but "explode" simultaneously as�a whole.

"And what happens next? That�s exactly what the Islamic State needs. Another area of�chaos suits it over�the odds. Therefore, we say that the most important task is to�save the Syrian power structure," Zakharova stressed.

Syria has been in�a state of�civil war since�2011, with�government forces countering the so-called moderate rebels and several extremist groups, including the Islamic State and the Nusra Front.

By Sputnik News