MOSCOW, April 11 (Reuters) - The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that two of its soldiers had been killed in a mortar attack in Syria and a third was fighting for his life, the RIA news agency reported.

The ministry said that the Russian military instructors were embedded with a Syrian army unit and -- along with a Russian military adviser -- had come under mortar fire from a group of militants. (Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Andrew Osborn) </s> MOSCOW, April 11 The Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that two of its soldiers had been killed in a mortar attack in Syria and a third was fighting for his life, the RIA news agency reported. </s> Two Russian servicemen were killed and a third wounded in a mortar attack in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.

"Russian professional servicemen who were in a unit of Syrian forces as instructors ... came under a mortar attack from a group of rebel fighters," the Defense Ministry said in a statement quoted by Interfax news agency. "As a result of a mortar explosion, two Russian servicemen died."

The soldiers were embedded with a Syrian army unit along with a Russian military adviser.

The ministry did not specify when or where the attack took place.

This incident brings the Russian death toll in Syria to 29, according to the ministry. </s> Russia's Defense Ministry said on April 11 that two of its soldiers had been killed in a mortar attack in Syria while a third was seriously wounded, Russian news agencies reported.

"Russian professional servicemen who were in a unit of Syrian forces as instructors...came under a mortar attack from a group of rebel fighters," the ministry was quoted as saying in a statement.

"As a result of a mortar explosion, two Russian servicemen were killed," it said, adding that the wounded serviceman was being treated by military doctors.

The statement did not say when or where in Syria the attack occurred.

The latest deaths bring the number of Russian combat deaths in Syria officially acknowledged by the Defense Ministry to 29. Russian authorities say another soldier committed suicide during the first month of the operation.

Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces throughout the six-year-old war in Syria and stepped up its involvement in 2015.

Based on reporting by AFP, Interfax, TASS, Reuters </s> MOSCOW: Russia’s defence ministry said Tuesday that two soldiers acting as military instructors to government troops in Syria had been killed by rebel forces.

“Russian professional servicemen who were in a unit of Syrian forces as instructors… came under a mortar attack from a group of rebel fighters,” the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by Interfax news agency. “As a result of a mortar explosion, two Russian servicemen died.” </s> Russia's defence ministry said Tuesday that two soldiers acting as military instructors to government troops in Syria had been killed by rebel forces.

"Russian professional servicemen who were in a unit of Syrian forces as instructors... came under a mortar attack from a group of rebel fighters," the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by Interfax news agency.

"As a result of a mortar explosion, two Russian servicemen died."

Medics were fighting to save the life of another Russian serviceman wounded in the attack, the ministry said.

It said the two killed were training Syrian soldiers in marksmanship along with a Russian military advisor.

The latest deaths take the toll of soldiers killed in combat in Syria officially acknowledged by the defence ministry to 29. Another soldier committed suicide during the first month of the operation. </s> Moscow: Two Russian soldiers have been killed by artillery fire from the Islamic State group in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor, where the army is battling jihadists, Russia's defence ministry said on Monday.

One serviceman was killed instantly and a second died from his wounds in hospital, according to a ministry statement quoted by Russian news agencies.

The soldiers were travelling with a convoy that was hit by "mortar fire from Islamic State terrorists", according to the ministry.

Moscow announced earlier on Monday that it was providing support to Syrian government forces in their push to take Deir Ezzor, one of the last remaining cities controlled by the jihadists.

Russia intervened in Syria's six-year-old civil war in September 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad's government, and has conducted thousands of air strikes against targets it labels as "terrorists".

It also has a troop presence on the ground and the two soldiers reported killed on Monday bring to 34 the number of Russian service personnel killed in Syria, according to defence ministry figures. </s> Two Russian soldiers reported killed by shelling in Syria

Image from video released by Russia's Defence Ministry on September 1, 2017 shows missiles hitting vehicles said to be Islamic State targets on a road in Deir al-Zor province, Syria. — Russian Defence Ministry handout via ReutersMOSCOW, Sept 5 — Two Russian servicemen have been killed in Deir al-Zor province after Islamic State militants shelled a convoy they were escorting, the Russian Defence Ministry was cited as saying yesterday by the Interfax news agency.

The convoy was transporting Russian ceasefire monitoring military staff when it came under mortar attack, the ministry was quoted as saying.

One soldier was killed on the spot and the other died in hospital after sustaining serious injuries. Both were awarded posthumous military awards, the ministry said.

Russia said earlier yesterday that its air force was helping the Syrian army push ahead with an offensive on the Euphrates city of Deir al-Zor, where Islamic State has besieged 93,000 civilians and an army garrison for years. — Reuters </s> Two Russian contract soldiers were killed in Syria in mortar shelling by Islamic State terrorists, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday. According to the ministry, the servicemen were escorting a motor convoy of the Russian center for reconciliation of the warring parties.

“The motor convoy came under mortar shelling by Islamic State terrorists in the province of Deir ez-Zor. As a result of shelling, one serviceman was killed and another one was badly wounded. The wounded serviceman was promptly taken to hospital but died of deadly wounds, despite efforts taken by medics,” the ministry report said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Tuesday that the Islamic State carried out a violent attack in the south-eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where violent clashes are taking place accompanied by explosions which shook the area, likely to be caused by an exploding booby-trapped vehicle.

This ISIS counter attack follows dozens of raids by Russian and US-led coalition warplanes on the areas controlled by ISIS in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor city.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, two of its soldiers have been killed by a mortar attack in Syria while another was wounded. The ministry did not specify when or where the attack occurred.