Two Russian soldiers have been killed by mortar fire from the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where the army is battling jihadists, Russia's Defense Ministry said on September 4.
In a statement quoted by Russian news agencies, the ministry said that one soldier was killed instantly while a second one died from his wounds in hospital.
The servicemen were traveling with a convoy that was hit by "mortar fire from IS terrorists," according to the ministry.
The latest deaths bring to 34 the number of Russian service personnel killed in Syria, according to the Defense Ministry's figures.
Russia announced earlier on September 4 that it was providing support to Syrian troops in their offensive to conquer Deir al-Zour, one of the last towns still under IS militants' control.
Russia intervened in Syria's civil war in September 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad's government.
