"The terrorists blocked the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population. Humanitarian corridors have been mined. The shelling of the western part of the city continues… which means dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded every day," Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, told reporters.
In the past month, Aleppo has been a battlefield between government forces, jihadists, and numerous opposition groups. The September US-Russia ceasefire deal collapsed after a week, with Syrian troops renewing their offensive, stating that militant ceasefire violations made the cessation of hostilities impossible.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since the 2011 political collapse. The core of the ongoing conflict is a struggle between moderate Syrian opposition groups, that want to remove President Bashar Assad from power, and government forces. At the same time, Damascus has to counter various extremist groups, in particular, Daesh, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
