Russian media reports death of ninth mercenary killed in US airstrike in Syria
The radio station Echo of Moscow has learned of a ninth Russian who died in Syria as a result of the US airstrike. The death of Oleg Tereshchenko, a resident of Krylovskaya in Krasnodar Krai, was confirmed by four of his acquaintances.
Echo of Moscow’s sources claim that Tereshchenko’s death became the most discussed topic in his town. People who knew him say that he died in Syria. According to one of his acquaintances, this took place during the bombardment of the Russian convoy, which killed roughly 200 people. Tereshchenko’s body was identified by one of the fighters who survived the attack.
Nothing is currently known about his funeral. According to one of his acquaintances, his body must first be identified by relatives, and this has not yet been done. Another source told Echo of Moscow that the today the deceased’s body “will be brought home for burial”. However, most of the people who knew Tereshchenko refused to answer any questions about him. The Krylovskaya regional administration also did not answer phone calls from Echo of Moscow correspondents.
On February 7, the US-led international coalition carried out an airstrike against the forces who attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces’ position. According to the media, mercenaries from the Wagner Private Military Company were killed as a result of the airstrike. The exact number of casualties is not known, but several reports have cited figures in the hundreds.
On February 15, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the reports on the death of hundreds of Russian citizens in Syria in a military encounter with the forces of the international coalition are disinformation. She acknowledged, however, that “five persons, presumably Russian citizens” may have died in the fighting in Syria’s Deir al-Zor province on February 7.