Syrians babies are being named 'Putin' in honour of Russian President

Syrian families are naming their children Putin as a mark of gratitude for the Russian President's support for his Syrian counterpart in the six-year war, a government official has said.

Syrian Ambassador in Moscow Riyad Haddad said Bashar al-Assad had also made Russian the second language in Syria and had donated land near Damascus for a Russian school to be built.

"The decision of Assad that Russian should be the second language in the country - it is a sign of the gratitude towards the Russian people for supporting Syrians," Haddad said in remarks reported by the Tass news agency.

"Also, as a sign of this gratitude, many families are also calling their sons Putin," he said.

President Vladimir Putin has thrown Russia's military and diplomatic heft squarely behind Assad, with Russian jets helping the government retake Syria's biggest city, Aleppo, and Russian diplomats opposing UN moves to censure Damascus for a chemical attack on a village earlier this month, blamed on Assad's forces.