Dozens of Russians Are Believed Killed in U.S.-Backed Syria Attack<br />Aleksandr Averin, a member of the Other Russia nationalist party, confirmed<br />that Kirill Ananiev, a party member who left for Syria about a year ago, had been killed in the airstrike, noting that there were other “substantial losses.”<br />“I can confirm that Kirill died on Feb. 7 in Syria, near the Euphrates River, as a result of a strike by the American coalition,” Mr. Averin said in an interview, adding<br />that he was aware of “substantial losses” suffered by “paramilitary structures with ties to Russia.” He refused to elaborate.<br />“Russian officials assured coalition officials they would not engage coalition forces in the vicinity.”<br />The Kremlin — seeking to play down its involvement in the fighting in Syria<br />and seemingly hoping to avoid escalating tensions with the United States — has sidestepped questions about the episode, even as it faces rare criticism at home over its failure to acknowledge the deaths of Russians in Syria.<br />A Syrian military officer said that about 100 Syrian soldiers had been killed in the fighting on Feb. 7 and 8,<br />but news about Russian casualties has dribbled out only slowly, through Russian news organizations and social media.<br />MOSCOW — Four Russian nationals, and perhaps dozens more, were killed in fighting between pro-government forces in eastern Syria<br />and members of the United States-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, according to Russian and Syrian officials.<br />Aleksandr Ionov, a Russian businessman working in Syria offering security<br />and other services, said he estimated after conversations with associates in several private military organizations that more than 200 Russians might have been killed.
