MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist grouping (outlawed in Russia) took advantage of the pandemic to step up their operations in north-eastern Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"We are registering a deterioration of the situation in the areas in north-eastern Syria outside the government’s control. Militants of ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the former name of the IS] decided to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic. They intensified their incursions," the diplomat said.

On May 10-15 alone, the terrorists launched over 20 attacks against Kurdish formations, in which over 20 people were killed and about 40 wounded, Zakharova said.

"Also, we paid attention to the alarming report that seven ISIL militants had escaped from the prison at the al-Hol camp for internally displaced people. All these facts confirm once again that the United States and its allies, which are occupying the area across the Euphrates, do not care about civilians, security and other really important issues," the Russian diplomat said.