MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. A Syrian servicemen was killed in a shelling by militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone, chief of the Russian Center for reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria Sergei Solomatin said on Sunday.

"One Syrian soldier was killed in the settlement of Kermel in the Latakia governorate which came under shelling by militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone," he said.

According to Solomatin, work is continued to amnesty people dodging military service. Thus, as of today, as many as 21,701 people have been amnestied, he added.

During the day, officers of the Russian reconciliation center conducted a humanitarian operation and delivered a total of 2.2 tonnes of food products to the settlement of Mazlum in the Deir ez-Zor governorate.

Solomatin also said that refugees continue to return to Syria. The Russian reconciliation center is helping to ensure operation of ten checkpoints. "As of December 29, 2018, as many as 213,362 people have returned to Syria," he reported.

Apart from that, he said that the Russian reconciliation center continues efforts to restore infrastructure facilities and create conditions for the return of refugees. "As of December 29, 2018, as many as 30,943 residential houses, 718 educational and 124 medical facilities have been restored, and a total of 955 kilometers of motorways have been repaired," he noted.

The Russian reconciliation center continues to fulfill assigned tasks after the completion of the military campaign in Syria. The center’s officers regularly travel around the country's liberated areas to assess the humanitarian situation. The main efforts of the Russian military are now focused on assistance to the refugees returning to their homes.