Russian Colonel Killed in Syria Was Helping Syrian Army Unit to Train Servicemen

Russian Colonel Ruslan Galitsky killend in Syria's Aleppo was helping a Syrian Ar,my unit to train servicemen, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

"Colonel Ruslan Galitsky, while on a mission in the Syrian Arab Republic as a military adviser, helped commanders of a Syrian army formation to organize the training of units and master military hardware," the ministry said.

Earlier in the day it was reported that Russian military adviser died of wounds sustained in an attack of the so-called moderate Syrian opposition on a residential district in Aleppo.

"Col. Ruslan Galitsky died in the hospital as a result of a serious wound. Russian combat medics fought for his life for several days. The officer was wounded in a shelling of militants of the so-called opposition of a residential district of western Aleppo," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Galitsky received a state award posthumously, the ministry said.

The situation in Aleppo has been seriously deteriorating over the recent months. Thousands of citizens are believed to be trapped in the terrorist-besieged eastern parts of Aleppo with no access to food or water.

The Syrian civil war is ongoing since March 2011, with many armed groups including terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (both outlawed in Russia) involved in the conflict.