Russian colonel succumbs to wounds in Syria

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - A Russian colonel who worked as a military adviser in the regime-controlled areas of Aleppo in Syria has succumbed to his wounds, Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, according to the TASS news agency.

The ministry said Col. Ruslan Galitsky got injured when opposition fighters shelled a residential area in western Aleppo.

“The military adviser, Col. Ruslan Galitsky, sustained injuries in an artillery bombardment by the militants of the so-called ‘opposition', when they shelled a residential area in the western part of Aleppo,” TASS, quoting from a ministry statement, said.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.