Russian Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Gladkikh, killed by bombing of a convoy in Deir ez-Zor Province, eastern Syria, August 18, 2020

UPDATE, AUGUST 22:

Video of the moment that an improvised explosive device detonated, killing Russian Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Gladkikh and six pro-Assad troops, including a field commander.

The explosion in Deir ez-Zor Province also wounded three Russian soldiers.

ORIGINAL ENTRY, AUGUST 19: A Russian major general has been killed and three other troops injured by the bombing of their convoy in eastern Syria.

The blast occurred on Tuesday in Deir ez-Zor Province, which has been split between Russian-regime forces and the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after the Islamic State was removed from its last village in March 2019.

A roadside bomb detonated as the convoy passed near the At-Taim oilfield, about 15 km from Deir ez-Zor city.

A Russian site named the general as Vyacheslav Gladkikh.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced:

As a result of the explosion, three Russian servicemen were injured. During evacuation and while receiving medical assistant, a senior Russian military advisor with the rank of major-general died from the serious injuries sustained.

A pro-opposition military analyst said seven Assad regime troops and militiamen were killed, including a National Defense Forces commander.

No group has taken responsibility, but ISIS has stepped up its attacks on pro-Assad units in recent weeks.

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The Russian Investigative Committee said that it has launched an inquiry:

The crime that left a Russian army general killed and two more servicemen injured will not be an exception [to our investigations]: forces of the Investigative Committee who are now doing their service in Syria will establish all details of this criminal offense as part of the case. Establishing those guilty for the death and injuries of our servicemen is not just our duty, it is also a matter of honor.

The Kremlin has acknowledged the deaths of more than 120 Russian troops in Syria since Moscow’s intervention in September 2015 to prevent the fall of the Assad regime.

However, the deaths of Russian mercenaries, such as the Wagner Group, are not included in the count.