Russia denies casualties from Islamic State attack in Syria's DaraaJuly 11, 2018 - 10:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian Defense Ministry denied media reports about the alleged deaths of Russian servicemen in Syria as a result of an alleged attack carried out by the Islamic State militants, Al-Masdar News says. According to the Russian ministry that called the media reports fake, “there have been no losses among the Russian servicemen, either in the Daraa province on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic as a whole.” The ministry slammed the information as “deceitful” and “deliberately spread by Daesh terrorists.” On December 11, 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria after more than two years of successful struggle against terrorist organizations; however, a permanent group of the Russian military remains at the military bases at Hmeymim and Tartus on the territory of the Arab Republic. On September 30, 2015, Russia launched an air campaign initiating airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |