Five Russian fighters may have been among those killed in US airstrike in Syria, says Moscow

CNBC-16 February 2018-Moscow acknowledged for the first time Thursday that five Russian nationals may have been killed in the U.S.-led airstrike in Syria last week but denied reports the loss of life among its citizens was significantly higher.
Reports have suggested more than 100 fighters supporting the regime led by Syrian President Bashar Assad were killed in the Feb. 7 clash in Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zor province. The U.S. has said the airstrike was an act of “self-defense” following hostile action against a base it held with Kurdish-led forces fighting ISIS.
“According to preliminary information, we could be talking about the deaths of five people — presumably Russian citizens — as a result of an armed confrontation whose causes are being examined,” Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters at a press briefing Thursday.
The Russian official insisted those killed in the clash were not members of the Russian armed forces. Even so, this marked the first time Russian fighters have been killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria.
The Russian fighters killed were said to be mercenaries for the secretive Russian private military group Wagner, which has provided thousands of contract soldiers to help the Assad government.