Important note: the word “provocation” in the English voice-over is a mistranslation from the Russian word провокация (“provokatsia”) which, in this context, clearly means “false flag operation”.  Putin is unambiguously stating that he knows that the Syrian military did not use chemical weapons but that this was a staged event.

The Essential Saker IV: Messianic Narcissism's Agony by a Thousand Cuts
The Essential Saker III: Chronicling The Tragedy, Farce And Collapse of the Empire in the Era of Mr MAGA