World Bulletin / News Desk

 A Russian plane delivered 21.5 tons of humanitarian aid to the Syrian regime bastion port city of Latakia, said the Russian Emergencies Ministry on Friday.

The plane proceeded to evacuated 80 Russians and other nationals of countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), i.e. former Soviet republics.

"Sixty-six Russians, seven Belarusians, four Ukrainians and three Uzbek nationals were brought to the capital Moscow," said the ministry. 

Russia has evacuated more than 1,000 Russian and CIS countries' nationals in total from war-torn Syria.

Syria has been gripped by stalemate since the president Bashar al-Assad regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011.

This crackdown triggered a conflict that has killed more than 220,000, including in excess of 10,000 children, according to the UN.