MOSCOW, October 20./TASS/. A humanitarian pause in Aleppo is extended by 24 hours, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told reporters on Thursday.

"On the instruction of Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir [Vladimirovich] Putin, the decision has been taken to extend the humanitarian pause by 24 hours," the defense minister said, adding that the Syrian leadership backed this.

The humanitarian pause in Aleppo started at 8 am on Thursday. Initially it was planned until 4 pm, but later the decision was made to extend it for another three hours - until 7 pm. Russian and Syrian warplanes stopped airstrikes in the area of Aleppo back on October 18.

The UN said earlier on Thursday that Russia planned two more 11-hour humanitarian pauses.