A Syrian rebel group issues a video statement saying it has killed a Russian general who was working with Syria's defence ministry.<br/> <br />The group, calling itself the "Hawks Special Operations Battalion", last month claimed responsibility for the assassination of four of President Bashar al-Assad's top lieutenants.<br/> <br />The speaker gave the name of the general as Vladimir Petrovich Kochyev.<br/> <br />The video shows what the rebels say is a copy of his ID as well as a picture which shows Kochyev and another Russian officer posing with the Syrian chief of staff.<br/> <br />But Russian news agencies denied that he had been killed, saying he appeared in person at the defence ministry on Wednesday.<br/> <br />The ministry called the allegation a "bald faced lie".<br/> <br />Russia, which has an estimated several hundred military personnel in Syria, is one of the few countries still backing Assad diplomatically since a popular uprising erupted against his rule 17 months ago.<br/> <br />END
