The Russian Defense Ministry denied media reports about an increase in the number of Russian servicemen killed in Syria.

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov denied the claims of the British news agency Reuters regarding the number of Russian servicemen killed in Syria.

"The British news agency Reuters is trying to discredit Russia's operation against ISIS terrorists, and not for the first time. An article about alleged heavy 'secret losses' among Russian servicemen in Syria, released especially for the Russian Airborne Troops Day, is not an exception. The sources again are rumors, social networks data and talks with anonymous 'relatives and friends'," Konashenkov said.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Russian losses in Syria jumped in 2017. The media claims that the actual death toll among Russian soldiers and private contractors was at least 40.