A Russian Emergencies and Civil Defense Ministry plane on Saturday delivered about 25 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, mainly medicines, the ministry said.

In September, Russia sent some 80 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, including canned food, sugar, baby food, blankets and tents.

The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 20,000 lives according to various Syrian opposition groups. The UN puts the death toll at over 18,000 people. The Syrian authorities say 8,000 were killed.

The West is pushing for President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.