Family and friends of the first Russian serviceman confirmed dead in Syria Wednesday disputed the official explanation of his death by suicide as his tiny village prepared for his funeral, AFP reports.
Serviceman Vadim Kostenko, 19, is the first confirmed Russian death in Syria since Moscow launched its intervention in the war-torn country.
The defense ministry Tuesday said that a Russian serviceman serving as a technical specialist at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria's Latakia province had committed suicide due to problems with his girlfriend.