But relatives of the 45-year-old grocery shop owner believe he is among scores of Russian citizens killed this month in an airstrike by a US-led coalition near Deir al-Zour, an oil-rich territory in eastern Syria. But reports suggest as many as 200 Russian nationals could have lost their lives, which, if confirmed, would be the most lethal clash between US and Russian citizens since the end of the cold war. Scores of Russian mercenaries reportedly killed by US airstrikes in Syria Read moreAll were, according to multiple sources, employed by the Wagner Group, a shadowy Kremlin-linked private military contractor. The official Russian army death toll in Syria last year was sixteen soldiers, although dozens of mercenaries are believed to have died. Fifteen Russian security staff killed in Syria explosion Read moreDmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, said it was possible some Russian citizens were in Syria, but that the Kremlin only possessed information about Russian servicemen.

Source: The Guardian February 16, 2018 04:52 UTC