HMEIMIM /Syria/, March 19. /TASS/. Since February 27 when the ceasefire took effect in Syria, 67 civilians have been killed and 65 injured in Aleppo, head of the Russian reconciliation center Sergey Kuralenko told reporters on Saturday.
"Since February 27, at least 67 civilians have died and 65 have been wounded in shelling opened by militants in Aleppo. Women and children are among them," he said.
Russia awaits US' response to proposals on control over ceasefire breaches in Syria
Russia has not received a reply from the United States yet, with regard to the proposals on organization of control over the ceasefire violations in Syria. Moscow believes it was inadmissible to delay with the document, Sergey Kuralenko went on to say.
"Back on February 25, we submitted a proposal to the US side to organize control over violations of the cessation of hostilities but have not received an answer yet," Kuralenko said.
'We believe that the document should be adopted without delay that leads to new victims among the civilian population," he said.
The general noted that "unlike the US side," the officers of the Russian reconciliation center were in the Syrian provinces and "so to say, are constraining potential violators of the ceasefire ‘on the ground’."
"They record cases when residential localities, populated by peaceful civilians, come under shelling of illegal armed groups," Kuralenko said. "However, the Syrian Armed Forces bound by the obligation to stop fighting do not open fire in response."
The ceasefire has been effective in Syria since February 27. It does not apply to the groups Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both outlawed in Russia), and also to other groups declared as terrorist by the UN Security Council.
The Russian Defense Ministry declared the establishment of the reconciliation center on February 23. It is headquartered at the Hmeimim air base, Latakia province. The center was set up in line with agreements reached by Russia and the United States to facilitate the negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition and to organize humanitarian deliveries.