INSURGENTS occupying the east of Syria’s second city Aleppo shelled a Russian field hospital yesterday, killing two medical staff.

One female nurse was killed as shells destroyed the tent hospital set up to help refugees fleeing the militants, while a doctor died of her wounds later. Another medic was injured.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konsehnkov blamed the rebels’ Western backers for the attack, saying: “We know who provided the militants with information on the Russian hospital and its exact co-ordinates.