YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The Russian military has delivered about 1.5 tons of humanitarian aid to the one of return areas for refugees in the Syrian city of Aleppo, spokesman for the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation Daniil Rychkov said on Saturday, Sputnik News reported.

“Humanitarian cargo has been delivered to Aleppo. Aid has been provided to civilians, refugees, and the families of fallen military personnel. The total weight [of cargo] is 1.5 tons,” Rychkov told journalists.

Civilians who find themselves in difficult situations have been placed in accommodation centers for refugees, and up to 300 families have received food subsidies, he added.

The Center for the Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in the Syrian Arab Republic, based at Hmeymim Air Base, was set up by the Russian Defense Ministry to plan, monitor and carry out peace restoration operations in Syria. As of March 2016, about 683 metric tons of humanitarian aid and medicine had been delivered to the Syrian provinces of Hama, Homs, Latakia, Daraa, Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo and Damascus, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Fighting in Aleppo has escalated over the past few weeks, with the Syrian army and local militia forces having managed to encircle large groups of militants in eastern districts of Aleppo. Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition groups, as well as jihadi terrorists.