MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry is still expecting the Reuters news agency to disavow its report on the death of three Russians in Syria, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova said Thursday.

"Assuming that Reuters is not collapsing like the Soviet Union and remains an integral organization, we are still expecting a disavowal," Zakharova said addressing the agency’s correspondent present at the briefing.

Earlier this week, Reuters published a report on the death in Syria of three Russians, who allegedly fought on the side of the government forces. Russian diplomats refuted the report on the same day, and the denial was immediately published by Russian media.

Russia’s Aerospace Forces started delivering pinpoint strikes at facilities of the Islamic State terrorist organization in Syria on September 30. The air group comprises over 50 aircraft and helicopters, including Sukhoi Su-24M, Su-25SM and state-of-the-art Su-34 aircraft. Hundreds of terrorist facilities have been hit by Russian aircraft.

On October 7, four missile ships of the Russian Navy’s Caspian Flotilla fired 26 Kalibr cruise missiles (NATO codename Sizzler) at militants’ facilities in Syria. On October 8, the Syrian army passed to a large-scale offensive.

Russia’s Armed Forces act on a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Russian Federation does not plan to take part in ground operations in Syria.

According to UN statistics, fighting between Syrian government troops and militants has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions since its start in 2011.