Syria's civil war between government forces and a wide range of insurgents, including opposition groups and terrorists, such as Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al Sham, both outlawed in Russia, has raged for some five years and has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
Over recent months, the situation in Aleppo has deteriorated. Militant-held eastern Aleppo is encircled by government forces and the fighting has affected thousands of civilians still trapped in the city.
In October, a humanitarian pause was introduced in Aleppo to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians and unarmed militants from eastern parts of the city through designated corridors. That pause collapsed when Jabhat Fatah al Sham (also known as Nusra Front, or Jabhat al-Nusra, outlawed in Russia) militants attacked civilians, preventing them from fleeing the city.
