CIA director: “a couple of hundred Russians” died in Syria a few weeks ago

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said that "a couple of hundred" Russians were killed in Syria a few weeks ago.

“A few weeks ago, the Russians met a worthy opponent. A couple of hundred Russians were killed,” Pompeo said at a Senate hearing on his nomination for US Secretary of State.

Pompeo cited this as an example of the US administration's efforts to contain Russia, along with the expulsion of 60 diplomats . He answered the question of whether the White House is going to strengthen anti-Russian sanctions.

Mike Pompeo was apparently referring to the battle in the vicinity of Deir Ezzor on the night of February 8, in which, according to media reports, tens or hundreds of Russian mercenaries could have been killed and injured. Previously, the United States did not officially recognize that there were Russians among the dead.

• According to reports, the battle at Deir ez-Zor was provoked by an attempt by a pro-government detachment to seize the headquarters of Kurdish formations or a Kurdish-controlled oil refinery. The American military, supporting the Kurds, launched an airstrike on the attackers. Later, the US claimed the deaths of more than a hundred pro-government fighters, without specifying their citizenship.
• There is no official data on the dead and injured. Information appeared in the media that there were dozens and hundreds of Russian mercenaries among the dead; at the same time, journalists managed to find out the names of only a few dead.
• The authorities of the Russian Federation, denying the involvement of Russian mercenaries in the war in Syria, at first did not confirm the information about the injuries and deaths of Russians at Deir Ezzor. Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that several dozen people were injured and taken to hospitals, and five people could have died .