Russia's defense ministry said that a temporary truce in the Syrian battleground city of Aleppo has been extended for three days "to prevent the situation from worsening."
"Following Russia's initiative, the regime of silence in the province of Latakia and in the city of Aleppo has been extended from 00:01 (local time) on May 7 to a total of 72 hours," the ministry said late May 6.
The truce had been due to end early on May 7 after giving residents some respite from two weeks of fighting that killed more than 280 civilians.
The halt in fighting in Aleppo is part of international efforts to revive a February nationwide cease-fire and revive peace talks to end a five-year war that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.
Russia has been flying a bombing campaign in Syria since September to back up the forces of its ally President Bashar Al-Assad.
Together with the United States, Moscow has been spearheading the latest diplomatic push to reinstate the cease-fire and resolve the protracted conflict in the country.
