Russian Ministry of Defense denies death of Russian soldiers during terrorist attack in Syria
The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied media reports that Russian servicemen were killed during a terrorist attack in Syria, reported Interfax.
“ISIS terrorists intentionally spread false reports about the death of Russian servicemen in Syria,” the Ministry of Defense said.
Earlier, the telegram channel Directorate 4, which monitors the situation in the Middle East, published a statement of the Islamic State. The statement asserts that in the province of Deraa in southern Syria, a suicide bomber killed 35 Russian and Syrian military personnel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported on the terrorist attack. According to SOHR, eight people were killed, including Syrian army personnel and opposition fighters. According to the observers, a car with explosives in it was blown up.
“All Russian servicemen are alive, healthy, and fulfilling their duties according to plan,” said the Defense Ministry, calling the media report about the death of the Russians “another fake” news story.
At the end of May, the Defense Ministry reported that four Russian servicemen had been killed and three wounded in Deir ez-Zor in Syria. The dead and wounded were with a Syrian artillery battery that was attacked by militants.
Later, Novaya Gazeta, citing a source, reported that two private soldiers working with the Wagner Paramilitary Organization were killed. At the same time, AFP, citing a source in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, claimed that at least nine Russians had been killed, among which were also civilians.
Russian military operations in Syria began in September 2015. In December 2017, President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of troops, stating that “the task of fighting the armed resistance…has been essentially completed, and completed brilliantly. ”According to official data released by the Ministry of Defense in May 2017, 47 Russian servicemen were killed during the military operation. In March 2018 in Syria, an An-26 military transport aircraft crashed, killing 39 people.