'1,000 Syrians fleeing Russian airstrikes' enter Turkey

Around 1,000 Syrians believed to be fleeing ongoing Russian airstrikes in Syria have entered southern Turkey's Hatay province within the last one week, Turkish official sources in the province said Wednesday.

The Syrian refugees included women and children, who crossed into Turkey via the Cilvegozu border crossing in Hatay, the sources said.

Majority of the refugees went to houses of their relatives or friends, who arrived earlier in Turkey, the sources added.

Russia began carrying out airstrikes in war-torn Syria on Sept. 30. According to the Kremlin, the strikes are aimed at supporting the Bashar al-Assad regime, an ally of Russia, against Daesh.

Turkey and the West, for their part, accuse Russia of targeting moderate groups in Syria opposed to Assad, many of which are supported by Ankara and Washington.

At least 250,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, with 7.6 million internally displaced and over four million having fled to nearby countries.