A Russian soldier died after being hit by mortar fire in the central Hama province of war-torn Syria, the defense ministry said early Wednesday in a statement quoted by news agencies.

Captain Nikolay Afanasov was killed by “sudden mortar fire on a Syrian government army camp”, the ministry said, indicating that he was part of a group of military instructors who were training Syrian soldiers.

His death raises to 32 the number of Russian soldiers killed in combat in Syria, according to defense ministry figures..

Source: AFP