Rebel shelling killed two Russian nurses and eight civilians in Aleppo, and a Russian fighter jet crashed as it was returning to an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean after a sortie over Syria, but the pilot ejected safely, Moscow officials said.
The shelling yesterday that targeted government-controlled western Aleppo was one of the most intense in recent days. It coincided with a crushing air and ground assault that has seen forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad recapture more than half of opposition-held eastern Aleppo.
Russia and militias allied with Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah have been staunch supporters of Assad in his country's bitter civil war, now in its sixth year.
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The shelling initially killed one female nurse and wounded two Russian medics working in a field hospital, a Russian officer told reporters in the northern city. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Moscow had sent hospital equipment to the government-controlled Furqan neighbourhood on Sunday.
Another nurse who was wounded in the shelling later died, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The Russian and Syrian doctors tried their best to save her," Maj Gen Igor Konashenkov said in an emailed statement. Another Russian, a pediatrician, remains in critical condition.
He urged international organisations such as the Red Cross to condemn the attack on the health workers "who were doing their medical duty to help the civilians of Aleppo."
At the UN Security Council, Russia and China blocked a draft resolution demanding a seven-day truce in Aleppo to evacuate the sick and wounded and to provide humanitarian aid workers time to get food aid and medicine into the city.
Russia has repeatedly blocked action in the Security Council over Syria.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said talks would be held with the United States this week in Geneva on a rebel withdrawal from eastern Aleppo, Russian news agencies reported.
The Russians have tried before to coax rebels into leaving the territory, setting up corridors out of the district, but the fighters have refused because they want to retain their control over parts of the city. Some fear the Russians and their Syrian allies would not ensure their safety.
Yesterday's fighting was the worst in days. Syrian government artillery, tanks and warplanes pounded rebel-held parts of the city for hours. The airstrikes were so intense that buildings on the western side of the city shook.
Opposition activists and rescue workers said four people were killed in a barrel bomb attack on a rebel-held district, and three more were trapped in the rubble.
Insurgents also struck back in the government-held western parts of the city with dozens of mortar shells. At least eight civilians were killed in different neighbourhoods, according to state news agency SANA.
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